Olympic Runner Mo Farah Unsure How Trump Order May Affect His Return to US

— -- Four-time Olympic gold-medal-winning runner Mo Farah is concerned that an executive order banning travel to the U.S. for individuals born in certain countries could keep him from returning to his family in Oregon.

Farah wrote in a Facebook post Sunday morning that "President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien."

"I am a British citizen who has lived in America for the past six years -- working hard, contributing to society, paying my taxes and bringing up our four children in the place they now call home. Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome," Farah wrote. "It's deeply troubling that I will have to tell my children that Daddy might not be able to come home -- to explain why the President has introduced a policy that comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice."

Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the United States. It includes a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

Farah is a British citizen who was born in Somalia. He does not have dual nationality or hold a Somalian passport, but he and his representatives are trying to establish whether the fact that he was born in Somalia will present a problem for him when he wishes to return to the United States.

Farah's family is living in Portland, Oregon, while he trains in Ethiopia. They have been based in the U.S. for the past six years.

The effect of the executive order, focused on seven Muslim-majority countries, has led to uncertainty for a number of foreign-born athletes who compete in the United States as well as questions about how this will affect people with dual citizenship in one of the named countries.

Following conversations between British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the U.S. government, Britain's Foreign Office said later Sunday that Trump's executive order applies only to individuals traveling from one of the seven named countries, regardless of nationality or place of birth. That suggested Farah would be able to return to the United States.

U.S. soccer midfielder Michael Bradley posted his thoughts on the travel ban via Instagram on Sunday morning, saying "the Muslim ban is just the latest example of someone who couldn't be more out of touch with our country and the right way to move forward."

Bradley's post follows a Saturday interview with Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl?in which he said, "As a proud American, I hope we can find the right way to move forward in all this and make sure that we're safe but also not lose so many of the things that make the country so great."

The Homeland Security Department said in a statement Sunday that a New York court order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump's travel ban will not affect the overall implementation of the White House executive action.

"President Trump's Executive Orders remain in place -- prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety," the statement said.

Protests have sprung up at airports across the country in reaction to the executive order.

Farah moved to Britain from Somalia at the age of 8 and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in British sport. He won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and at the 2013 and 2015 world championships. He also won the 5,000-meter gold at the 2011 world championships and was recently given a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

He wrote, "My story is an example of what can happen when you follow policies of compassion and understanding, not hate and isolation."

U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement that the USOC is "working closely with the administration to understand the new rules and how we best navigate them as it pertains to visiting athletes and officials.

"We know the administration is supportive of the Olympic Movement, and our bid, and believe we will have a good working relationship with them to ensure our success in hosting and attending events."

If the entry ban were to be extended beyond the current 90 days, it could create complications for organizers of the world weightlifting championships scheduled for November in Anaheim, California. Iran, in particular, is a force at the world and Olympic level in the sport.

"Uncertainty is where we're at," USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews said by telephone Sunday night. "Right now, there's no impact.''

Generally speaking, athletes from countries with restricted or nonexistent diplomatic relations with the United States are able to obtain special visas to participate in major events on U.S. soil, and Andrews pointed out that competitors from North Korea and Cuba were able to participate in the 2015 world championships in Houston.

A small American weightlifting delegation was planning to go to Iran in early March for the Fajr Cup, an invitational event that is part of the International Weightlifting Federation's Grand Prix series.

"We still intend to go,'' Andrews said, provided an exception can be worked out with authorities in both countries. ''We have a positive relationship with the Iranian Weightlifting Federation, and our mindset this weekend is about the power of sport above politics.''

ESPN's Bonnie Ford, The Associated Press and the Press Association contributed to this report.