--- title: Koch Brothers Join Critics of Trump's Immigration Order description: The powerful groups organized under the billionaire brothers are joining the opposition against President Trump's ban on refugees canonical: https://time.com/4652905/koch-brothers-donald-trump-immigration-ban-order/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-29T19:58:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:15:05.728Z article:section: Politics og:title: Koch Brothers Oppose Trump's Immigration Ban og:description: Criticism from major conservative donors og:url: https://time.com/4652905/koch-brothers-donald-trump-immigration-ban-order/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0afac28f7393f581/6988a086bc6cfc708b3de116/gettyimages-539780022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4884 og:image:height: 2747 og:image:alt: na-koch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Koch Brothers Oppose Trump's Immigration Ban twitter:description: Criticism from major conservative donors twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0afac28f7393f581/6988a086bc6cfc708b3de116/gettyimages-539780022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:50 video:published: 2017-01-29 section: politics topics: executive order, immigration, green card holders, refugee ban, Muslim-majority countries, waiver requirements, consular officers, White House statements genre: news, explainer tones: factual, informative, contrasting, measured emotions: concern (low), uncertainty (medium), tension (low) sentiment: neutral audience: news readers, immigration policy followers, U.S. residents, general political audience, green card holders people: Reince Priebus, Donald Trump organizations: White House, NBC, CNN products: green card content_suitability: politics [00:00-00:50]; politics [00:27-00:46] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # The Koch Brothers Oppose President Trump's Immigration Ban > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=735858c1-1072-473f-b6ca-9205cf0c1b30&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: White House: Green Card Holders Won't Be Subject to Immigration Order [Watch (HLS stream): White House: Green Card Holders Won't Be Subject to Immigration Order](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KSZ4T8Bf.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2017-01-29. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus confirms green card holders moving forward will not be affected._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video reports that green card holders will not be affected going forward by President Trump's executive order banning refugees and visitors from several Muslim-majority countries. It cites White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus's statement on NBC's Meet the Press that green card holders could still face temporary additional questioning. It contrasts this with a CNN report that the order did include green card holders, and with a senior administration official's description of waiver and consular-meeting requirements. The video notes the White House stood by the order's implementation. ## Key points - Green card holders moving forward will not be affected by the executive order banning refugees and visitors from several Muslim-majority countries. (00:00) - Reince Priebus said on NBC's Meet the Press that green card holders moving forward are not affected by the order. (00:09) - Priebus said green card holders could be subjected temporarily to more questioning. (00:13) - The video says the statement shows the White House is easing up on the order's applicability to legal permanent U.S. residents. (00:21) - On Saturday, CNN reported that the order did in fact include green card holders. (00:27) - A senior administration official said green card holders from affected nations would need to apply for a waiver to get back into the U.S. (00:32) - Green card holders currently in the U.S. from affected nations would need to meet with a consular officer before leaving the country. (00:38) - The White House stood by the implementation of the order on Saturday. (00:46) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:21] White House statement on green card holders. Priebus's Meet the Press comments say green card holders moving forward are not affected by the order, though they may face more questioning. - [00:21 to 00:50] Conflicting reports and administration requirements. The video contrasts the statement with CNN's report that green card holders were included, and outlines waiver and consular requirements described by an official. ## Key quotes - [00:13] Reince Priebus: "As far as green card holders moving forward, it doesn't affect them" - [00:19] Reince Priebus: "Subjected temporarily with more questioning." - [00:21] narrator: "The statement shows the White House is easing up on the applicability to legal permanent U.S. residents." - [00:27] narrator: "On Saturday, CNN reported that the order did in fact include green card holders." ## Questions this video answers - Will green card holders be affected by the executive order going forward? [00:00] - What did Reince Priebus say about green card holders on Meet the Press? [00:09] - Could green card holders face additional questioning under the order? [00:19] - Did the executive order originally include green card holders according to CNN? [00:27] - What would green card holders from affected nations need to do to re-enter the U.S.? [00:32] - Did the White House stand by the order's implementation? [00:46] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-00:50]: Covers a presidential executive order and White House statements on immigration policy. - politics [00:27-00:46]: Discusses conflicting reports about the order's scope and administration requirements for affected travelers.  by [Philip Elliott / Indian Wells, Calif.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Indian Wells, Calif. Senior Correspondent Jan 29, 2017 7:58 PM UTC White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus confirms green card holders moving forward will not be affected.  by [Philip Elliott / Indian Wells, Calif.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Indian Wells, Calif. Senior Correspondent Jan 29, 2017 7:58 PM UTC The powerful policy and politics network organized by the billionaire Koch brothers made official what many had expected: an opposition to [President Trump’s ban on visitors](http://time.com/4652877/donald-trump-immigration-ban-muslim/) from seven countries with Muslim majorities. In a statement provided to reporters covering the Kochs’ twice-a-year retreat, top official Brian Hooks said Sunday that the groups under his umbrella would not support Trump’s move, which has drawn thousands of [protesters](http://time.com/4652877/donald-trump-immigration-ban-muslim/?xid=homepage) against the ban on immigrants and refugees. “We believe it is possible to keep Americans safe without excluding people who wish to come here to contribute and pursue a better life for their families. The travel ban is the wrong approach and will likely be counterproductive,” said Hooks, the co-chairman of the Koch network. “Our country has benefited tremendously from a history of welcoming people from all cultures and backgrounds. This is a hallmark of free and open societies.” It was merely [the latest sign](http://time.com/4652743/donald-trump-koch-brothers-400-million/) that Trump will not have yes-men in the Koch camp, which runs some of the most sophisticated conservative organizations in the country. Trump and the Koch network already had a tense relationship, and it appears that the groups will continue to operate as an opposition party much the way they did under Presidents from both parties. (Charles and David Koch ramped up their political activity under Republican President George W. Bush because they saw spending speeding out of control.) The Koch network operates groups such as the grassroots focused Americans for Prosperity, the data-centered i360 and Latino-eyeing Libre Initiative. Together, they spent roughly $250 million on last year’s elections — while sitting out the White House race. Over the next two years, they plan to spend as much as $400 million. Sunday’s statement offered a reminder that these hefty donors will not defer to the Republican Party. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4652905/koch-brothers-donald-trump-immigration-ban-order/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4652905/koch-brothers-donald-trump-immigration-ban-order/"},"headline":"The Koch Brothers Oppose President Trump's Immigration Ban","datePublished":"2017-01-29T19:58:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-07T07:15:05.728Z","description":"A sign that Trump faces troubles from all corners","url":"https://time.com/4652905/koch-brothers-donald-trump-immigration-ban-order/","keywords":["Donald Trump","republicans","Immigration","Koch Brothers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0afac28f7393f581/6988a086bc6cfc708b3de116/gettyimages-539780022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott / Indian Wells, Calif."}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0afac28f7393f581/6988a086bc6cfc708b3de116/gettyimages-539780022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"na-koch","caption":"Charles Koch","creditText":"Patrick T. 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