This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/30/travel-ban-donald-trump-protest-chuck-schumer
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US diplomats' memo against Trump migration order sparks mutiny murmurs | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A mutiny among US diplomats appeared to be gathering steam on Monday as a draft memo circulated around foreign missions strongly dissenting against Donald Trump’s ban on refugee admission and travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. | |
| The Trump administration is striving to regain its footing after a weekend of chaos, confusion and protest. The travel bans, apparently rushed and without consultation, provoked a backlash from politicians, businesses and organisations across the globe. | |
| “We are better than this ban,” the memo said, arguing that it would backfire, making the US less safe from terrorism, and “stands in opposition to the core American and constitutional values that we, as federal employees, took an oath to uphold. | |
| “A policy which closes our doors to over 200 million legitimate travelers in the hopes of preventing a small number of travelers who intend to harm Americans from using the visa system to enter the United States will not achieve its aim of making our country safer,” the draft memo said. “Moreover, such a policy runs counter to core American values of nondiscrimination, fair play and extending a warm welcome to foreign visitors and immigrants.” | |
| The draft memo is intended to be sent through the state department’s “dissent channel”, intended to allow alternative points of view inside the institution. But normally they are confidential and rarely have more than one author. It is not yet clear how many diplomats signed the Monday’s dissent memo ,which had not been sent by noon on Monday, but any memo of public dissent signed by a significant number of US diplomats would be very rare. | |
| The acting spokesperson, Mark Toner, confirmed that the state department was aware of the memo. | |
| “This is an important process that the acting secretary, and the department as a whole, value and respect,” Toner said. “It allows state employees to express divergent policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership.” | |
| The last similar occasion was a dissent memo over the Obama administration’s Syria policy signed by more than 50 diplomats last June. That memo was the culmination of years of fierce debate, while it has taken just days for the Trump White House to trigger an even more ferocious backlash from the nation’s diplomats. | |
| There were no reports of anyone left in detention at US airports on Monday following the chaotic scenes that resulted from Donald Trump’s Friday executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. But advocacy groups said that the US government was not giving them sufficient information to know for sure that no one remained detained. The government had not provided any list of names of travellers held. | |
| Meanwhile, the Council on American–Islamic Relations (Cair) issued a lawsuit claiming the travel ban violated the first amendment of the constitution, which establishes the right to freedom of religion. And Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, said he was also launching a legal challenge, the first state to do so. “The judicial system is adept at protecting the constitution. President Trump may have his alternative facts, but alternative facts do not work in a courtroom,” said Inslee. He said the banning of immigrants based their country of citizenship went against state statutes meant to stop discrimination based on place of birth or nationality. | |
| As the White House attempted to mount a public relations counter-offensive, Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump and the alleged architect of the policy, went on morning TV to insist its implementation had been “orderly” and “efficient”. The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, also defended it. | |
| Miller, who is also Trump’s principal speechwriter, told CBS’s This Morning: “Any time you do anything hugely successful that challenges a failed orthodoxy, you’re going to see protests. If nobody is disagreeing with what you’re doing, then you’re probably not doing anything that really matters.” | Miller, who is also Trump’s principal speechwriter, told CBS’s This Morning: “Any time you do anything hugely successful that challenges a failed orthodoxy, you’re going to see protests. If nobody is disagreeing with what you’re doing, then you’re probably not doing anything that really matters.” |
| He denied that the policy had been botched. “By any measure I would describe that as efficient, orderly, enormously successful,” Miller said. “We’re going to take the next 30 days to develop a new set of screening protocols.” | |
| Trump’s executive order, signed on Friday, shut US borders to people from seven countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days. It also suspended the Syrian refugee programme indefinitely, a move that Doctors Without Borders warned “will effectively keep people trapped in war zones, directly endangering their lives”. | Trump’s executive order, signed on Friday, shut US borders to people from seven countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days. It also suspended the Syrian refugee programme indefinitely, a move that Doctors Without Borders warned “will effectively keep people trapped in war zones, directly endangering their lives”. |
| The order was reportedly sped through without prior consultation with John Kelly, the homeland security secretary, or the defence secretary, Jim Mattis. There appeared to be widespread confusion among authorities over how the bans would be applied to groups such as legal permanent residents. Several federal judges stayed the order in their districts. There were protests at airports across the country and outside the White House and at Trump’s Washington hotel on Sunday. | |
| Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani also claimed to have worked on the policy and referred to it explicitly as a “Muslim ban”. On Saturday night he told Fox News: “So when [Trump] first announced it, he said, ‘Muslim ban.’ He called me up. He said, ‘Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.’” | |
| Giuliani added: “And what we did was, we focused on, instead of religion, danger – the areas of the world that create danger for us. Which is a factual basis, not a religious basis. Perfectly legal, perfectly sensible. And that’s what the ban is based on. It’s not based on religion. It’s based on places where there are substantial evidence that people are sending terrorists into our country.” | |
| On Monday, Spicer defended the sudden move, telling MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “I think there are some people who might not like the way it was done, but they were all consulted in the process.” | |
| Spicer said officials were concerned about the possibility that announcing the policy in a more open fashion would “telegraph what you’re going to do” to people who might have rushed to airports to beat the ban. | Spicer said officials were concerned about the possibility that announcing the policy in a more open fashion would “telegraph what you’re going to do” to people who might have rushed to airports to beat the ban. |
| Asked about some travellers with valid papers being held at airports, the press secretary said 109 of some 325,000 travelers “were slowed down” in their trips, and called that “a small price to pay” for protecting the American people. | Asked about some travellers with valid papers being held at airports, the press secretary said 109 of some 325,000 travelers “were slowed down” in their trips, and called that “a small price to pay” for protecting the American people. |
| But he admitted that communications could be improved. “I think that we can figure out how to inform people quicker and more comprehensively once the decision has been made,” Spicer said. | But he admitted that communications could be improved. “I think that we can figure out how to inform people quicker and more comprehensively once the decision has been made,” Spicer said. |
| Trump himself used his favoured medium – Twitter – to deny the order was responsible for disarray at airports. | Trump himself used his favoured medium – Twitter – to deny the order was responsible for disarray at airports. |
| “There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter the country,” he posted. “This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!” | “There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter the country,” he posted. “This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!” |
| He added: “Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage, protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer.” | He added: “Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage, protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer.” |
| Delta Airlines experienced a two-and-a-half-hour shutdown on Sunday night, a problem that caused delays for thousands of passengers but was unrelated to Trump’s executive order. | Delta Airlines experienced a two-and-a-half-hour shutdown on Sunday night, a problem that caused delays for thousands of passengers but was unrelated to Trump’s executive order. |
| Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, had become tearful during a press conference on Sunday where he stood alongside refugees and condemned the order as unconstitutional and “un-American”. | Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, had become tearful during a press conference on Sunday where he stood alongside refugees and condemned the order as unconstitutional and “un-American”. |
| Trump mocked him on Monday during remarks after a meeting with small business owners at the White House. | Trump mocked him on Monday during remarks after a meeting with small business owners at the White House. |
| “I notice Chuck Schumer yesterday with fake tears,” he said. “I’m going to ask him who was his acting coach, ’cause I know him very well. I don’t see him as a cryer. If he is, he’s a different man. There’s about a 5% chance his tears were real, but I think they were fake tears.” | “I notice Chuck Schumer yesterday with fake tears,” he said. “I’m going to ask him who was his acting coach, ’cause I know him very well. I don’t see him as a cryer. If he is, he’s a different man. There’s about a 5% chance his tears were real, but I think they were fake tears.” |
| The president also criticised Democrats for holding up some of his cabinet nominations. | The president also criticised Democrats for holding up some of his cabinet nominations. |
| “Where was the outrage of the Democrats when all of our companies were fleeing to Mexico and to other places far away and leaving jobs behind?” he said. “Now they’re all coming back. They’re coming back by big numbers.” | “Where was the outrage of the Democrats when all of our companies were fleeing to Mexico and to other places far away and leaving jobs behind?” he said. “Now they’re all coming back. They’re coming back by big numbers.” |
| It was not clear if Trump’s use of the word “fleeing” was intended to draw comparison with the refugee issue. Schumer and the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, were due to stand alongside immigrants and Muslims outside the supreme court on Monday evening. | It was not clear if Trump’s use of the word “fleeing” was intended to draw comparison with the refugee issue. Schumer and the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, were due to stand alongside immigrants and Muslims outside the supreme court on Monday evening. |
| Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN on Monday: “I see it as illegal, unconstitutional and un-American. I don’t think this ban will make us any safer. I frankly think it will be a propaganda bonanza for Isis. It has outraged a number of our close allies on whom we are relying to be our partners on the war on terror, and it has sent the wrong message to our allies around the world about what we stand for as a country. | |
| “Some of the first people caught up in the misguided ban just over the last 48 hours were Iraqi translators who risked their lives for American troops in the war in Iraq, and I think the symbol that sends is a strong one and I look forward to joining others who will be protesting this ban and challenging it both with statutory actions and legal actions.” | |
| More than a dozen Senate Republicans have opposed the order or expressed concerns. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a joint statement that it “sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country. That is why we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.” | |
| Trump was also facing criticism for allowing his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, to attend regular meetings of the White House National Security Council, while the chair of the joint chiefs of staff and the director of national intelligence were told to attend only when deemed necessary. | Trump was also facing criticism for allowing his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, to attend regular meetings of the White House National Security Council, while the chair of the joint chiefs of staff and the director of national intelligence were told to attend only when deemed necessary. |
| He also said on Monday that he would announce his pick for the vacancy on the supreme court at 8pm on Tuesday. The court has been working with eight justices since the death last year of Justice Antonin Scalia. | He also said on Monday that he would announce his pick for the vacancy on the supreme court at 8pm on Tuesday. The court has been working with eight justices since the death last year of Justice Antonin Scalia. |
| Additional reporting by Amber Jamieson in New York |