US President Donald Trump has defended his executive action curbing immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, amid growing criticism that the measures are discriminatory and divisive.
Governments from London and Berlin to Jakarta and Tehran have spoken out against the move, which sparked havoc and protests at airports over the weekend, with some US‑bound passengers turned away and others detained.
Trump issued a statement reiterating that the order, which was partially blocked by a federal judge's ruling that stranded travellers could stay in the country, was "not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting".
He says this is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping the US safe.
Trump says his policy was "similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months".
He says the countries affected — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — had previously been identified by the Obama administration as being "sources of terror".
Source: CNN
