WASHINGTON—The White House on Sunday downplayed concerns about President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration order in the face of widespread protests, as some Republicans in Congress urged him to proceed with caution in the face of legal pushback. Top congressional Republicans, however, remain largely behind the new president.
During a round of Sunday show interviews, Trump’s aides stressed that just a small portion of travelers—less than one percent—had been affected by the order, which temporarily bars the citizens of seven majority Muslim nations from entering the country. The aides also said that citizens of those countries who hold permanent U.S. residency “green cards” will not be barred from re-entering the country.
The comments came the morning after a federal judge in New York issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from the seven majority Muslim nations subject to Trump’s 90-day travel ban. The judge said the approximately 200 travelers who had been detained had a strong argument that their legal rights had been violated.
The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who had already arrived in the U.S. 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, however, said Sunday said the court ruling would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order.
“President Trump’s executive orders remain in place—prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety,” the department said in a statement.
Epoch Times contributed to this report.
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