The University of Wisconsin-Madison is increasing the number of students, faculty and staff it says are affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban covering seven mostly Muslim countries.
The university on Tuesday said there are 115 people on campus affected by the ban. That’s up from its initial estimate of 88.
UW-Madison student, Lily Khadempour, is currently in Brazil as a part of a study program. Khadempour is a dual citizen from Canada and Iran.
“To think that you need to suddenly and completely change your life is so difficult,” she said.
Khadempour spent the weekend not knowing if she would be allowed back into the U.S. She started to plan ways to finish college from Canada if she was not allowed to travel back to Madison. Because of her dual citizenship, she has been told she will be able to get allowed back into the states.
Khadempour is set to land back in America on Wednesday.
“There are human beings behind this and we are normal people. We have lives and go to school and work in our jobs. I feel like it is really easy to think of Muslims and refugees as something other and I think its important that people see that it is not other — that we are humans,” Khadempour said.
The UW System initially estimated Monday that 130 students statewide would be covered under the ban, but it was working to update that number.
