Pat Tillman's widow: Trump's travel ban is ‘not what he died for’

Marie Tillman speaks out against President Trump's immigration ban.

Marie Tillman, the wife of former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, expressed her deep sadness with President Trump's executive order banning immigration.

Pat Tillman left the NFL and decided to enlist in the army in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004 at the age of 27.

“In 2002 my husband enlisted in the US Army, he stood up to serve because he believed in the principles on which our country was founded and, recognizing it wasn’t perfect, was passionate about what it could be,” Marie Tillman wrote on Facebook. “Today I am deeply saddened by the news of the executive order banning immigration. This is not the country he dreamed of, not what he served for and not what he died for. Since his death I have embarked on the most meaningful work of my life, supporting the men and women who, like Pat, fight for what this country can be. As I read posts from the community of #Tillman Scholars on my Facebook feed I am encouraged; they are exactly as I knew they would be, poised and ready to fight. I am proud of them and proud to stand with them, we’ve got this.”

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Several federal courts have temporarily blocked Trump's executive order, which targets refugees from entering the country for 120 days and immigrants from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. 

The executive order has also affected green–card holders and other legal immigrants.