"STILL GOOD," DESPITE PRESIDENT BANNON:

Here in deeply conservative Nebraska, President Trump's executive order banning refugees and people from seven majority-Muslim nations elicited complicated feelings about the state's relationship with refugees. Many Nebraskans had supported attempts to keep the country safe but still wanted to show their heart for people fleeing terrorism and war. Their state has taken in more refugees per capita than any other.

During the presidential campaign, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) became a prime critic of Trump in large part because of his plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States. When Trump signed the executive order, Sasse criticized it as "too broad." On Sunday, Sasse criticized Trump again, this time for tweeting about the "so-called judge" who halted the order late Friday.

Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who has supported a ban on Syrians from the moment Trump first pitched it, has also talked about welcoming refugees already here as a source of statewide pride.

Aljasem, who moved with her husband, Ahmad, 30, and their five children, said she felt grateful to arrive before Trump's ban. She felt guilt for those who hadn't.

"I tried to call my parents and I didn't hear from them," said Aljasem, whose wide eyes began to water when she spoke. "I don't know where they are. They could be dead."

She did get in contact with her sister, who was living in a refugee camp in Jordan. They shared dreams of reuniting, but now her sister wanted to know: Is the United States a good place to be?

Aljasem remembered pausing at the question. Then she told her sister about how the children have been making friends at school. She said she never saw anyone sneer at her headscarf or look at her in a "racist way." She had Jewish friends who helped drive her family to doctor's appointments and who were teaching her English. Her husband quickly found a job at a shampoo factory.

"The country is good," she recalled telling her. "It's really good. It's still good."

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