LEWISBURG -- Students at Bucknell University held a rally Tuesday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration. But while the rally attracted hundreds of students who are against the ban, Bucknell University is in the center of Union County, a county that voted largely for President Trump.
According to Union County's website, 60% of voters in the county cast their ballots for Donald Trump. That's with almost 73% of registered voters going to the polls. Even so, many students and faculty members at Bucknell University have been very vocal about their dislike for the President Trump's decisions.
Students and faculty at Bucknell University held up signs and chanted together during a rally on campus, protesting Trump's executive order on immigration.
"No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here," they chanted.
In an email, Bucknell University President John Bravman called the limitations "deeply distressing."
"There are students in universities all around the country who can't go back home because they don't know whether they can come back or not," Anushikha Sharma said.
"I'm Muslim, so technically it does apply. I have a lot of friends at different schools, MIT, Harvard, Florida State, and they're from Syria and they're messaging me saying, 'I'm stuck at home. I don't know what to do,'" Tamara Hijazi said.
Tamara Hijazi spent the past few days working with the American Civil Liberties Union as an Arabic translator.
"We know it doesn't directly affect us as an individual, but all of our friends and family members who are affected by the ban," Hijazi said.
Newswatch 16 spoke with people in Central Pennsylvania who voted for President Trump. They had different views on the protest.
"During the election, there were comments made about guns and religion and that's kind of a tongue-in-cheek way of putting it that basic values are very important. A lot of people in this area were just not happy with the way the country was going," Sheldon Walter said.
"That's what this country's founded on, and as long as it's peaceful and for the right causes, I commend them," Walter said.
"I think it's their right to do that, but I don't think it's going to get them anywhere. I don't understand the real reason they're doing it because it is what it is now," Al Cresswell said.
"This is what we can do in Lewisburg during the school year so this is our way of showing solidarity and protest," Sharma said.
After the rally at Bucknell, students and faculty members held a teach-in. There were several different classes about current events topics that anyone could attend, all over campus.