♪♪ >> CATHY: LAST WEDNESDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED ANOTHER SO-CALLED "TRAVEL BAN" SIMILAR TO THE ONE HE IN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THATERM.- TOOK EFFECT MONDAY, HIS ADMINISTRATION LISTED 12 COUNTRIES ACROSS AFRICA, ASIA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST WHOSE CITIZENS ARE NOW BARRED ENTRY TO THE U.S., AS WELL AS SEVEN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE TRAVEL IS RESTRICTED.

CAIR-MN, THE LOCAL BRANCH OF THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE DENOUNCING THE ORDER ON THE DAY IT TOOK EFFECT, AND ITS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JAYLANI HUSSEIN, JOINS US NOW.

WELCOME BACK.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> Cathy: HOW DIFFERENT IS THIS BAN FROM THE FIRST ONE?

>> I THINK IT'S HE SAME.

IT'S JUST AN EXAMINATION OF THE SAME -- AN EXPANSION OF THE SAME AFRICAN AND PERHAPS MUSLIM BAN.

WE KNOW THERE'S 12 COUNTRIES.

SEVEN ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES INCLUDING SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES IF HERE.

IT DOES IMPACT MINNESOTA SIGNIFICANTLY.

WE HAVE THE LARGEST SOMALI POLICY WHICH IS IMPACTED.

BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ALSO HAVE KAREN, COMMUNITY FROM MYANMAR AND ALSO LAOS AND HMONG.

>> Cathy: WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM SOMALI FAMILIES AS AN EXAMPLE?

>> I THINK UNFORTUNATELY, MANY PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING THIS.

WE WENT THROUGH FOUR YEARS.

WE KNEW AFTER THIS ELECTION IT WAS MORE THAN LIKELY TO COME BACK.

IT DID COME BACK.

PEOPLE WERE PREPARED FOR IT.

IN FACT, THERE WERE SOME RELIEF FROM OTHER PEOPLE.

BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IDEA OF SECURITY IS NOT REALLY TRUE.

BECAUSE OF ALL THESE 12 COUNTRIES, THE PROJECTED NUMBERS IN 2023 WAS LESS THAN 10,000.

IN FACT, OUTSIDE OF HAITI, HAITI IS THE ONLY COUNTRY BECAUSE WE HAVE A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP, IT'S JUST RIGHT ACROSS THE FLORIDA COAST, AND WE KNOW WHY HAITI'S ON THERE, BECAUSE OF HOW POLITICIZED IT WAS, ESPECIALLY IN THE POLITICS OF THE 2024 ELECTIONS, BUT OUTSIDE OF HAITI, THE REST OF THOSE COUNTRIES DON'T EVENING MET UP TO 10,000.

SSOMALIA WAS INSPECTED -- PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN REFUGEE CAMPS FOR 20 EARS.

SOME OF THEM ARE NOT EVEN BORN IN THE COUNTRY THEY'RE BANNED FROM.

>> Mary: YOU MENTIONED NUMBERS, AN 11% VISA OVERSTAY RATE.

IS THAT TRUE?

>> 11% FROM 128 PEOPLE.

THAT'S -- >> Mary: THAT'S THE CONTEXT.

>> SO THAT'S NOT EVEN TEN PEOPLE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

AND AGAIN, THERE IS A PROGRAM CALLED T.P.S., SO MOST OF THOSE SOMALIS COULD APPLY.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THOSE RELATED DOCUMENTS, PASSPORTS, VISAS, IS THAT IMMEDIATELY FFECTED?

>> NO ONE'S COMING IN WITHOUT BEING EITHER UNITED STATES CITIZEN OR A GREEN CARD HOLDER, SO ANYONE WHO'S OMING IN FOR VISA OR IMMIGRATION VISA, ALL OF THOSE ARE BANNED.

>> Cathy: THAT FIRST TRAVEL BAN WAS CHALLENGED AND UPHELD.

ARE YOU EXPECTING MORE LEGAL CHALLENGES?

>> I'M NOT SO OPTIMISTIC WITH THIS SUPREME COURT, BUT I KNOW OUR LEGAL COMMUNITY IS LOOKING AT EVERY POSSIBLE WAY.

WE ALSO WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT WORKING WITH THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL?

KEITH ELLISON'S HAS BEEN VERY AGGRESSIVE IN LAWSUITS.

>> WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD SUCCESS IN THE PAST, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT AS MANY POSSIBLE WAYS.

BUT AGAIN, THE NUMBER OVES OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED IS SO LOW, THIS ENTIRE POLICY IS POLITICALLY BASED.

>> Mary: DO YOU THINK IT'S RACE BASED, RELIGION BASED?

>> IT IS RELIGIOUS AND RACE.

WHEN OU SEE MUSLIMS AND BLACK PEOPLE.

WE ALSO SEE AFRICAN COUNTRIES FOR THE FIRST TIME APPEARING ON THERE AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY.

THE VE VISA OVERSTAY, THERE'S MORE CANADIANS AND U.K. AND SPAIN, IF YOU ADD THOSE NUMBERS.

SO THIS DOESN'T REALLY ADD UP TO THAT.

>> Cathy: YOU MENTIONED SOME FOLKS HAVE BEEN LIVING IN REFUGEE CAMPS FOR, LIKE, 20 YEARS.

WHAT DOES THIS DO TO THE FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY?

>> MANY PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR THEIR BROTHER AND THEIR SISTER TO BE UNITED.

ALSO, SUCH A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE ESCAPE FROM THOSE CAMPS, AND IMAGINE THOSE PEOPLE BEING TOLD THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO GO TO AMERICA.

>> Mary: TALK ABOUT THE SOMALI COMMUNITY.

I THINK I READ IN THE BONDING BILL A LINE ITEM FOR THE SOMALI MUSEUM?

>> WE WERE EXPECTING THAT TO HAPPEN TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN WE HAD THE SURVIVOR PLUS.

[Overlapping conversations] THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY GOING OUT OF THE DOOR BUT I THINK SOMALIA -- THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IS A BIG FABRIC OF THE MINNESOTA EXPERIENCE.

WE LIKE TO GET OUR SAMBUSA OUT THERE, MAKE IT A MINNESOTA THING.

THIS MUSEUM WILL SERVE AS A REALLY GREAT EDUCATION FOR YOUNG SOMALIS WHO WERE BORN HERE AS WELL AS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SOMALI IN MINNESOTA AND PLAMAYBE A PLACE PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL COME TO MINNESOTA.

IT HAS THE HIGHER AMOUNT OF ARTIFACTS IN THE WORLD.

IT'S PROBABLY I THINK THE BEST MUSEUM OUTSIDE OF SOMALIA.

IT IS ON LAKE STREET.

AND THEY DO HOWS AND PROGRAMMING.

SO REALLY EXCITED FOR THEM TO HAVE A CENTER AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, A PLACE THAT MINNESOTANS CAN ALL ENJOY AND BE PART OF ONE OF THOSE LANDMARKS THAT WE GO VISIT.