Updated
President Donald Trump has defended his controversial
immigration ban, denying it was to blame for the chaos at US airports
over the weekend and instead blaming computer glitches, protesters and
the "tears of Senator Schumer".
Key points:
- Donald Trump said only 109 out of 325,000 people "were detained and held for questioning"
- The White House maintains the ban is to keep America safe
- The order has sparked protests and criticism from around the world
The order was partially blocked by a federal judge's ruling that stranded travellers could stay in the country, and Mr Trump later tempered a key element of the ban which prohibited those with green cards from re-entering the US.
But the President took to Twitter with a flurry of tweets defending the order.
"There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter the country," he tweeted.
"This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!"
He also defended the timing of the order, saying it was to stop "the bad" from rushing into the country.
He said only 109 out of 325,000 travellers "were detained and held for questioning" following his ruling.
"Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage, protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer," he added, referring to a systems outage on Sunday night that led to departure delays and cancellations of at least 150 Delta Air Lines flights.
However, the chaos started on Saturday as protesters packed some of the country's major airports to demonstrate against the executive order.
The American Civil Liberties Union had estimated the ruling would affect hundreds of people who were either in transit or detained at airports.
Video: Protests against Trump's 'racist, unconstitutional' ban have been held nationwide. (ABC News)
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer earlier teared up on camera as he seethed over the "mean-spirited and un-American" immigration ban.
He was among several Democrats in Congress who said they would be introducing legislation to stop the ban.
Some Republicans in Congress urged caution amid legal challenges to the order, although top congressional Republicans largely remained behind Mr Trump on the issue.
The order drew criticism from senior Republican senator John McCain, who warned it could serve as propaganda for terrorists, and Canada, which offered temporary residency to stranded travellers.
European Union officials denounced the policy as a dangerous embrace of isolationism and inequality, while the international aid group Doctors Without Borders accused Mr Trump of keeping people "trapped in war zones, directly endangering their lives".
The Trump administration declared the order's implementation "a massive success story", claiming it had been done "seamlessly and with extraordinary professionalism".
The developments came a day after a federal judge in New York issued an emergency order temporarily barring the US from deporting people from the seven majority Muslim nations subject to Mr Trump's 90-day travel ban.
The order barred US border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the US with a valid visa from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application.
The Department of Homeland Security said the court ruling would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order.
Video: San Francisco protests against Trump's refugee ban (ABC News)
AP/Reuters
No comments:
Post a Comment