APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration have sparked protests across the country, including Northeast Wisconsin.
The executive order affects travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
A protest in Appleton began Thursday afternoon at Houdini Plaza.
Some people were protesting saying the executive orders are unethical, and unconstitutional. However, others say the President’s orders will make the country safer.
Alyssa Borchardt organized this protest…..and spoke to WLUK
“I, myself am Muslim and it just really hurts to see my brothers and sisters suffering like this”
She says she understands the pain of immigrants and refugees trying to come to America, and is working to bring her husband here from Afghanistan.
“The hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life is to leave him at that airport”.
Afghanistan is not one of the seven Muslim-majority countries on the hold list, but Borchardt is still worried.
“So it won’t hinder him now, because he’s not currently on the list, but I could easily see it being added in the future because of how unstable the country is”
Republican State Representative Ron Tusler says the immigration and refugee holds are temporary, they’re not bans.
“We’ve got to understand that our vetting system is gonna work”
Tusler told us us the holds are to ensure America’s national security, they’re not meant to single out Muslims.
“There’s certainly a terrorism element to it, but these countries were picked by Barack Obama as the seven most dangerous countries to our national security…There’s 42 Muslim countries that were not put on this hold and I think if this was actually targeted toward a certain religious group you wouldn’t see that”
These protesters said, however, the holds are a slippery slope toward making America less welcoming and the world less stable.
“All that’s going to do is make more terrorists,” said Borchardt, going on to say that some countries mis-represent Islam for political gain and that refusing to help people in dangerous situations can backfire.
“The countries do not accurately represent Islam and I think it’s a shame that that’s how it is, because Islam is a really beautiful religion and it’s so kind and accepting and peaceful”
The protesters also spoke out against President Trump’s executive order to build a wall along the border of Mexico.
