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Updated 2 hours ago
A group of about 20 veterans and supporters gathered Saturday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in downtown Greensburg to counter recent protests against President Trump's controversial immigration orders.
Organizer Lance Baird, 48, a Navy veteran who worked as an intelligence specialist in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, said the nation should give priority to the needs of its veterans rather than taking in refugees.
“Don't you think we should take care of our own first before you worry about anyone else?” he said.
Baird of Greensburg expressed concern about homeless veterans and those with inadequate medical care. He said the Department of Veterans Affairs needs more money to better serve veterans, noting some experience long waits to see a doctor.
“Instead of spending billions on bringing over people that we know don't like our culture and our way of life, why don't we take care of our own first who put their lives on the line to make our country as safe as it is?” he asked.
Members of a local chapter of Pax Christi, a Catholic lay organization that focuses on peace and justice issues, and students from Seton Hill, a Catholic liberal arts university in Greensburg, demonstrated in recent weeks against Trump's actions to temporarily suspend refugee admissions and prohibit the entry of residents of seven Muslim-majority countries.
Demonstrators at those events — held outside the courthouse and at Greensburg's Blessed Sacrament Cathedral — chanted messages such as “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here!” and carried signs that read: “Immigrants & Refugees Welcome” and “No ban, no hate, no wall — This is America, land of the free for all.”
Several demonstrators Saturday carried signs that read, “Veterans before refugees.”
A federal appeals court last week upheld a judge's decision to temporarily block Trump's immigration order, which the president said is necessary for national security. Trump said Friday that he is weighing his options, which include appealing the decision or issuing a new executive order.
Baird said Trump's order is being improperly portrayed.
“It's not a Muslim ban,” he said, noting that India and Indonesia have large Muslim populations but weren't included in the travel restrictions.
“Refugees have more rights coming into the country than we as veterans do,” said demonstrator Robert Kuhns, 55, of Greensburg, who served in the Army in the early 1980s. “We need to secure our borders better. We're over there helping other countries with theirs, and we're not doing the same here.”
Kuhns said he doesn't necessarily support building a border wall. But, he said, the immigration process needs to be revamped.
“We should screen the people a little better,” he said.
Allison Smith, 36, of Hunker said she took part in the demonstration to help bring awareness to the plight of homeless veterans, whom she said are often victims of red tape.
“They need an address to get benefits, but they don't have an address,” said Smith, who has veterans in her family.
Like Kuhns, she said immigration procedures need to be improved. “I do support people wanting to come here for a better life,” Smith said. “But there needs to be a better system in place to help those who need it, those who will come and be a part of our society,” not “those who just want to come and get a free ride.”
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.
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