Gov. Bruce Rauner urges ‘swift resolution’ of executive order concerns

Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield in August. A spokesperson for Rauner said in a statement Monday the governor was urging “swift action” on concerns about Trump’s immigration executive order.

Nora Shelly, City Editor

Gov. Bruce Rauner is urging “swift resolution” of concerns related to President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order, a spokesperson said in a statement Monday.

The order bars citizens of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the United States for 90 days and blocks refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days. It also prevents Syrian refugees from entering the country indefinitely.

The order fostered confusion at the nation’s airports this weekend as some American green card holders from the affected countries were held upon arrival in the country. Protests soon followed the motion, and on Saturday evening a federal judge in New York issued a temporary stay on parts of the order, prohibiting the deportation of some travelers who were en route when the order was issued.

In November 2015, Rauner announced the state would temporarily bar acceptance of new Syrian refugees following the Paris attacks earlier that month. One of the perpetrators of the attacks was a Syrian citizen who had posed as a migrant to enter Europe. However, governors have little control over implementing such directives because the federal government is in charge of resettling refugees.

On Monday, spokesperson Catherine Kelly said Rauner was “opposed to immigration bans that target any specific religion,” and that the country needed to “balance” security concerns with the tradition of “welcoming immigrants and refugees.”

“The governor has been supportive of tightening the vetting process for Syrian refugees because of ISIS attempts to infiltrate refugee flows,” she said. “Serious concerns about the executive order have been raised. We urge swift resolution of these concerns through the courts to ensure we are a nation that is both secure and welcoming of immigrants and refugees.”

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