U.S. public universities say immigration ban problems 'clear'

By Curtis Skinner SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. universities in both Democratic and Republican-voting states said they were unnerved by President Donald Trump's executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, many warning students and staff to avoid travel abroad. The president's order, which bars admission of Syrian refugees and suspends travel to the United States from Iraq, Iran, Sudan and four other countries, led to the detention of more than a hundred travelers arriving at U.S. airports over the weekend and sparked protests in major cities. Leaders of the prestigious University of California system, which is partly funded by the liberal state, called the order "contrary the values we hold dear", while Penn State President Eric Barron, whose state backed Trump, asked for the order be ended as soon as possible. "The problems that are surfacing with the order are clear," Barron said in a statement. U.S. universities are seen as bastions of free speech and protest, although the institutions themselves are typically not seen as inherently political. Association of American Universities President Mary Sue Coleman said in a statement on Saturday that the order "is already causing damage and should end as quickly as possible." University of Missouri Interim Chancellor Hank Foley said on Sunday that Coleman had expressed the concerns of universities to government officials, adding "I can assure you that our voices are being heard loudly and clearly in Washington." Missouri voters supported Trump. The University of Texas and the University of Michigan also issued statements in support of their international students, without explicitly condemning government policy. They said they were working to try to help get their students affected by the ban back into the United States. University of Texas at Austin (UT) President Gregory Fenves on Sunday said he was "proud to say we have 110 students, faculty members and scholars who are citizens of the seven affected countries". Those abroad should "know that we are doing everything we can regarding your return to UT," he added. Trump defended his order in a statement on Sunday, saying the United States would resume issuing visas to all countries once "the most secure policies" were put in place over the next 90 days. "This is not a Muslim ban," he added. (Reporting and writing by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb, editing by Peter Henderson and Richard Pullin)