Oakland A's Pitcher Sean Doolittle Frames The Immigration Issue Perfectly

Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Doolittle knows the downside of taking on political issues as a professional athlete. A year and a half after hosting a Thanksgiving welcoming dinner in Chicago for Syrian refugees with his girlfriend, Eireann Dolan, he is still fielding insults and slurs for welcoming refugees to America. But he’s not dissuaded. 

Following the recently overturned immigration bans levied against seven predominately Muslim countries, Doolittle has continued to speak up. He recently spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the perception that immigrants pose a threat and the benefit of welcoming others to the United States. 

He elaborated on the circumstances under which refugees seek aid and their hopes for their new lives.

In the past year, Doolittle has publicly shifted his political affiliation from Republican to independent and, judging by he and his now-fiancée’s social media statements, he sees room for improvement with the current state of things.