Trump defends refugee policy amid lawsuits and protests

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump says refugee crackdown 'not a Muslim ban' Shortly after signing documents in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said his crackdown on refugees and citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries "is not a Muslim ban." (Jan. 28)

President Trump and aides spent Sunday defending their ban on refugees from seven Middle East countries as a counter-terrorism measure, all in the face of lawsuits, congressional criticism, and mass protests across the United States.

"Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW," Trump tweeted. "Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess."

Later in the day, Trump issued a written statement disputing the idea that he has issued a Muslim ban: "This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe."

Judges across the country issued rulings blocking parts of Trump's travel ban order pending what will likely be months of litigation. Meanwhile, even some Republican lawmakers questioned the new policy, and anti-Trump protesters congregated in airports and public spaces coast-to-coast, including Lafayette Square in front of the White House.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, speaking on NBC's Meet The Press, appeared to ease part of the order by saying that it "doesn't affect green card holders moving forward." Priebus said border agents do have the authority to "ask a few more questions" of people returning from suspicious countries, even if they have a green card giving them resident status in the United States.

If people "shouldn't be in this country they're going to be detained," Priebus told NBC. "And, so, (we) apologize for nothing here."

Trump's order late Friday banning refugees from seven Muslim Middle East countries — Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen — set off protests at airports nationwide and triggered lawsuits.

Prior to the judicial rulings, Trump's order took effect immediately, leaving many foreign nationals and green card holders stuck at overseas locations or U.S. airports. Their fate on a case-by-case basis remains unclear.

Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, appearing on Fox News Sunday, said people who have been held up are being given screenings and will be released if they are not considered terrorist threats. She also said the order by the Brooklyn judge — an "Obama appointee" — doesn't apply to the anti-terrorism goal of the Trump order.

"It's preventing, not detaining," Conway said, calling the detentions "a small price to pay" for security.

Democrats and some Republicans said the order amounts to a Muslim ban, and will help the Islamic State cast their activities as a religious war against the West.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also appearing on Fox News Sunday, said Middle East refugees, particularly those from war-torn Syria, are already the most "carefully vetted" visitors to the United States. Durbin also noted that Trump issued his order with little or no consultations among the government officials who have to carry it out, leading to all the weekend confusion.

"It was an impulsive move by the president," Durbin told Fox.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, tweeted: "I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution. This is not who we are."

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The Trump order includes a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of the seven countries as well as a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

Among those detained in the initial confusion over the order: A 5-year-old boy separated from his mother, an 88-year-old blind man, and a former interpreter for the U.S. Army.

Some Republicans have raised questions about the order.

Two GOP senators — John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — said in a joint statement that Trump's order was "not properly vetted," and could become a "self-inflicted wound" by limiting cooperation from Muslim allies and inflaming Muslim extremists.

"We fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security," McCain and Graham said.

Trump later tweeted that the two GOP senators — whom he has clashed with before — are "wrong" about the policy and "weak" on immigration. They "should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III," the president tweeted.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told ABC's This Week that he favors increased vetting, but added that there shouldn't be "religious tests" in the United States.

"The courts are going to determine whether this is too broad," McConnell said.

In addition to tweeting about the order, Trump spent Sunday speaking by phone with the leaders of two Muslim countries not on the banned list, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Trump also attended a White House screening of the film Finding Dory along with staff members and their children.

The Trump travel order is also drawing international criticism. A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel — who spoke to the president by phone on Saturday — said that, "even in the necessarily resolute battle against terrorism it is not justified to place people from a certain origin or belief under general suspicion."

Trump said Christian refugees from the Middle East will receive special treatment, tweeting Sunday: "Christians in the Middle-East have been executed in large numbers. We cannot allow this horror to continue!"

The new president has also criticized news coverage of his administration — particularly The New York Times, recipient of a critical Trump tweet for two days running.

"Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimes and either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity!" Trump tweeted.

In a response to a Trump attack Saturday, the Times issued a "fact check" saying that "subscribers & audience at all-time highs. Supporting independent journalism matters."