MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on Wisconsin reaction to President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration (all times local):
3:40 p.m.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, of Wisconsin, is criticizing the roll out of President Donald Trump’s travel ban affecting seven mostly Muslim countries.
The freshman lawmaker from northeast Wisconsin issued a statement Monday breaking with other Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation who have praised Trump’s order. But Gallagher says Trump’s executive order released Friday could have been “better handled” and “should have been closely coordinated with Congress.”
Gallagher says in particular it should have been worded to protect those who fought with the U.S. in Iraq and legal permanent residents.
But Gallagher also notes that the temporary order is not a blanket ban on religion and says “reviewing and enhancing our vetting and visa admission processes is prudent.” Gallagher is promising to conduct an in-depth review of the order.
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3:10 p.m.
Gov. Scott Walker is backing President Donald Trump’s travel ban affecting seven mostly Muslim countries.
Walker had been silent on the ban issued Friday until his spokesman released a statement Monday afternoon. Walker says, “This is a safety issue. A resettlement program to help refugees is compassionate and one that I support, but we should ensure we are doing everything possible to put the safety of our citizens first.”
Walker had previously opposed Trump’s proposal as a presidential candidate in December 2015 to ban all Muslims from entering the country. Last month Walker sent Trump a letter asking the federal government for more control over accepting refugees from countries with ties to terrorism “until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals.”
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2:15 p.m.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel isn’t saying whether he’ll challenge President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions or whether he supports them.
Schimel, a Republican, said during a news conference Monday that he would consider legal action if he felt Trump overreached his constitutional authority or the policy has what Schimel called a “negative impact” on Wisconsin.
He said the Department of Justice’s solicitor general’s office is reviewing a New York federal judge’s order blocking part of Trump’s restrictions. Once that review is complete his office will decide whether the DOJ has a role to play.
Asked if he agreed with Trump’s restrictions, Schimel called them a policy decision that isn’t any of his business. But he said he’s not afraid to sue the federal government just because there’s a new president.
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2:10 p.m.
The University of Wisconsin says about 130 students statewide are affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban affecting seven mostly Muslim countries.
UW President Ray Cross is urging students or faculty from the seven countries not to travel outside the United States in the next 90 days as they may not be able to return to the country.
The affected countries are Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith McGlone says the university is working with one student whose plans to travel back to the U.S. may be affected by the order. She says no further details are available yet.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is calling on Trump to reverse the order.
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1 p.m.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is calling for President Donald Trump to reconsider his travel ban affecting seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Blank said in a statement Monday that the order affects the university’s “researchers, scholars, students, and staff who are essential to our goals of providing a world-class education.”
Blank says the president’s executive order must not keep out those who have good reasons to travel, including international students, faculty and staff.
Blank says, “We call on our leaders to search for a balanced approach that does not weaken our higher education system, the competitiveness of our economy and core principles of our democracy.”
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12:20 p.m.
The director of an organization that helps refugees says a 24-year-old man escaping violence and torture in Sudan did not arrive in Wisconsin due to President Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban.
Mary Flynn is program director of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. She said Monday that the man’s case had been expedited because he was a victim of torture. He planned to resettle in Wisconsin where he had a friend.
Flynn says her organization was to help six other individuals in the next few months whose cases have also been cancelled as of Monday.
Fessahaye Mebrahtu (FESS-ay MEH-bra-too) is executive director Pan-African Community Association in Milwaukee. He says many of the Iraqi, Somalian and Sudanese refugees his organization worked with have been waiting for family members to arrive.
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12:05 p.m.
Democrats who represent Wisconsin in Congress are blasting President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin says on Facebook that “Wisconsin was built on the hard work of those who came for a better future for their children. We can protect both our neighbors and our civil liberties.”
Rep. Ron Kind says the order “does not reflect who we are as a nation.” Kind says it will give terror groups “another recruitment tool and making it harder for our allies in Muslim nations to work with us on counter-terrorism operations.”
And Rep. Gwen Moore calls the order “repulsive and in direct contradiction to the values that define our nation.”
Wisconsin Republicans in Congress have either voiced support or been silent.
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11:45 a.m.
Wisconsin Democratic elected officials are condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and say it goes against what the U.S. stands for.
Democratic state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa calls Trump’s action “shocking and reprehensible” and says she is “floored” that she has to fight for immigrants who are legally entering the country. Zamarripa spoke at the Islamic Resource Center in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield on Monday. She was joined by about a dozen speakers, including immigrant advocates and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union in Wisconsin.
Trump has insisted that the order he signed is not a ban on Muslims entering the country but is instead a measure designed to keep the country safe.
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10 a.m.
Advocates for immigrants and refugee resettlement agencies in Wisconsin are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and travelers form seven Muslim-majority countries.
About 150 people protested the order Saturday in Milwaukee. And in Madison, about 2,500 people attended a Sunday public forum where the mayor and others spoke out against the travel ban.
Democratic state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa was slated to join with the head of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition and other civil rights, immigration and faith leaders on Monday to speak out against the ban.
Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner reversed himself over the weekend after initially saying Saturday that green-card holders affected by Trump’s order shouldn’t be allowed in the U.S. On Sunday, Sensenbrenner said he misspoke.
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9:43 a.m.
The top two elected Republicans in Wisconsin have previously criticized President Donald Trump for proposing a Muslim ban as a candidate.
But Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson did not immediately return messages Monday seeking reaction to Trump’s executive order banning refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Trump has insisted that the order he signed is not a ban on Muslims entering the country but is instead a measure designed to keep the country safe.
Trump’s order includes a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.
The president was applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan, who says it is “time to re-evaluate and strengthen the visa-vetting process.”
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