"Blatant discrimination:" Milwaukee protesters condemn President Trump's immigration ban
MILWAUKEE -- Hundreds protest President Donald Trump's order to keep people from entering the United States from several Middle Eastern countries on Saturday, January 28th. President Trump says the order will enhance national security. Critics say it's discrimination and will ultimately hurt U.S. foreign relations.
The group of protesters were outside the Federal Building in downtown Milwaukee.
"We believe this is blatant discrimination and we believe it's against the U.S. national interests," said Soroush Aslani, rally organizer.
The order signed Friday evening, stops people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen, from entering the United States for 90 days.
"We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas," said President Trump.
Donald Trump
While the president argues the ban will help protect the U.S. from terrorism, rally organizers say it will also hurt law-abiding citizens from those countries who currently live here legally under green cards or temporary student and work visas.
"If you are kicking academics out, questioning your students, they cannot go back to visit their families, they will go someplace else," said Aslani.
Soroush Aslani
The ban comes on the heels of another executive order signed earlier this week that threatens to take away any federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities or communities that don't turn over undocumented immigrants to federal agents for deportation.
"It's implausible, it's impractical, it can't work," said Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn.
At an event for Voces De La Frontera, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says his officers aren't even trained to enforce immigration law -- adding that the president's order goes against his department's core mission.
"Which is to protect and serve the residents of our community and you can't do that if you're terrifying them and trying to round them up," said Chief Flynn.
Ed Flynn
Friday's executive order also suspends entry of all refugees to the U.S. for 120 days and bars Syrian refugees indefinitely.