Obama praises protesters, 'fundamentally disagrees' with Trump's immigration order

President Obama. — (Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite - Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Barack Obama praised nationwide protests against President Donald Trump's immigration order in his first comments since leaving the White House on Jan. 20. "President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country," a statement from his office said.

In reaction to Trump's executive order banning people from seven predominately Muslim nations from entering the U.S., the statement added that Obama "fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion. … Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble [...] is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.