Iraq parliament votes in favour of travel ban on US

Iraqi lawmakers voted Monday to call on the government to enact a reciprocal travel ban on Americans if Washington does not withdraw its decision to bar the entry of Iraqis.

The call is a response to President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen from entering the US for at least 90 days, a move he billed as an effort to make America safe from "radical Islamic terrorists".

The travel restrictions, which come on the heels of repeated assertions by Trump that the US should have stolen Iraq's oil before leaving in 2011, risk alienating the citizens and government of a country fighting against militants the president has cast as a major threat to America.

US President Donald Trump has imposed restrictions on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen ©Bryan R. Smith (AFP)

Parliament called on the Iraqi government to "respond in kind to the American decision in the event that the American side does not withdraw its decision", a parliamentary official who was present for the vote told AFP, quoting text of the decision that was read at the session.

"Parliament voted by majority on calling on the Iraqi government and the foreign ministry to respond in kind," MP Hakim al-Zamili said.

Sadiq al-Laban, another lawmaker, confirmed that "the vote was for a call on the government" to enact reciprocal measures.

"We are against this stance from the new administration," Laban said, adding: "We hope that the American administration will rethink... this decision."

Trump's decision led to the detention of incoming refugees at US airports, sparking protests, legal challenges and widespread condemnation from rights groups.

And it has led to a growing backlash inside Iraq that could undermine relations between Baghdad and the US amid the battle for Mosul, the largest military operation yet in the war against the Islamic State group.

- Security ramifications -

The parliamentary vote came a day after its foreign affairs committee made a similar call for Iraq to respond in kind to the US measure.

Hassan Shwairid, the deputy head of the committee, said that the call did not apply to the thousands of American military personnel in the country as part of the US-led coalition against IS.

But US Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham said Trump's ban would impact military cooperation and security in other ways.

"This executive order bans Iraqi pilots from coming to military bases in Arizona to fight our common enemies," the two lawmakers said in a joint statement.

"Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism," they said.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, a powerful paramilitary umbrella organisation that includes Iran-backed Shiite militias that fought against American forces in past years, called Sunday for US citizens to be banned from the country.

Both units from the Hashed and American troops are deployed in the Mosul area as part of the operation to retake the city from IS, and heightened anti-US sentiment among militiamen could increase the danger to Washington's forces.

Trump's travel restrictions also drew condemnation from populist Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, America's bete noir for much of its 2003-2011 war in Iraq.

"Get your nationals out before removing expatriates," said Sadr, scion of a powerful clerical family who rose to widespread fame due to his condemnation of and violent resistance to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.</s>Demonstrators gathered at Raleigh-Durham International Airport Sunday to speak out against President Donald Trump's travel ban.Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.Our crew on the scene said there is a police presence with at least five marked cars and officers on foot."We are showing up to protest Trump's executive order. The Triangle stands with refugees and immigrants," the group's Facebook page stated. "The current ban has protected people stranded at US airports from being deported, but does not lift the executive order Trump has instilled The time for this event is the same time as the White House protest and we are protesting in solidarity."RDU officials issued a statement regarding the protest, which read:There is a designated area for the protest outside of Terminal 2, and officials have opened event parking for those participating.</s>Parliament committee calls on Baghdad to 'reciprocate' travel ban on Americans as Iraqis express sense of betrayal.

Iraq should "reciprocate" the United States' discriminatory travel ban on Iraqis and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries, the parliament's foreign affairs committee told the Baghdad government.

The committee issued the call on Sunday following a meeting in the capital to discuss US President Donald Trump's ban.

"We ask the Iraqi government to reciprocate to the decision taken by the US administration," said the committee in a statement read to Reuters by one its members, Hassan Shwerid. "Iraq is in the frontline of the war of terrorism ... and it is unfair that the Iraqis are treated in this way."

Return to Iraq: Former translator chases safety in US

Iraq's Popular Mobilisation force also called for a ban, and for Americans already in the country to be expelled.

Popular Mobilisation is a coalition of Shia paramilitary groups armed and trained by Iran to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

An Iraqi government body approved the force last year.

Popular Mobilisation's call to ban US nationals came in a statement published by its spokesman, Ahmed al-Assadi.

From the northern city of Erbil, Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid reported that there is a "sense of betrayal and anger" among Iraqis, especially those who have helped and worked with the Iraqi forces.

"They are saying that they are shocked and feel betrayed, that the friends of America have been betrayed, and the enemies of America have been vindicated.

"There's anger among people who would never even dream of going to America, but they feel that they should not have been subjected to this blanket ban just for being an Iraqi."

Our correspondent said Iraq's government is now under pressure to take action against the US.

In Chicago, Al Jazeera's John Hendren reported that a former colleague's elderly father who was on his way to the US became stranded in Qatar following Trump's order, and was eventually forced to return to Iraq.</s>WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks while being honored during the Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds Celebration at the Newseum November 16, 2016 in Washington, DC. This was the first time Clinton had spoken in public since conceeding the presidential race to Republican Donald Trump. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As protests against President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban erupted Saturday at airports across the country, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke out on Twitter.

"I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution," she tweeted Saturday night. "This is not who we are."

>> See the tweet here

I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution. This is not who we are. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution. This is not who we are. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 29, 2017 ">January 29, 2017



Trump signed an executive order Friday that institutes a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, as well as a 120-day suspension of the refugee program. The order also blocks Syrian refugees from coming to the United States indefinitely.

Late Saturday, New York U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly issued an emergency order banning the U.S. from deporting valid visa holders or people with approved refugee applications who have been detained in connection with the ban.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>President Trump's executive order denying all refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries reverberated across the USA and around the globe Saturday. The overarching ban, which remains in place, suspends the entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, halts the admission of refugees from Syria indefinitely and bars entry for three months to residents from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

Below are the latest updates on the ban and related protests from The Associated Press. Reload this post for the most recent news.

The attorney generals of 15 states and the District of Columbia are issuing a joint statement condemning as unconstitutional President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

The attorney generals say that religious liberty has been a bedrock principle of the country and no president can change that truth.

The states taking part in the joint statement issued Sunday are Washington, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Virginia, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, New Mexico, Iowa, Maine and Maryland.

The attorney generals say they expect Trump's executive order to be struck down, but in the meantime they'll work to make sure as few as possible suffer as a result of the order.

The conservative Koch political network is condemning President Donald Trump's plan to crack down on immigration from Muslim-majority countries.

Network co-chairman Brian Hooks said in a statement released Sunday, "The travel ban is the wrong approach and will likely be counterproductive." He added, "We believe it is possible to keep Americans safe without excluding people who wish to come here to contribute and pursue a better life for their families."

Hooks made the comments as billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and hundreds of his network's major donors gather for a semi-annual conference in Palm Springs, California.

The Koch network is among the most influential players in the conservative movement and has strong ties in the Trump administration, particularly with Vice President Mike Pence.

Demonstrators have gathered again at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to protest President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations from entry into the U.S.

An estimated 200 people held signs and chanted "Let them go!" as they awaited word Sunday on what state representatives for the Council on American-Islamic Relations say are nine people detained at the airport. The council says the majority are Iranian.

Other protests are planned for other parts of Texas over Trump's executive order, including in Houston and at the airport in Austin.

Protesters also are rallying Sunday at Miami International Airport and elsewhere around the country.

Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union say they are still trying to determine how many people are detained in the U.S. as a result of President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project deputy director Lee Gelernt told reporters in a conference call Sunday that there is still a state of confusion over the status of detainees and the rules for entering the country.

He said lawyers are waiting for the government to give them a list of names of people who have been detained.

Until then, he said, "we just simply don't know how many people there are and where they are."

Other advocates say that immigration lawyers have had trouble getting to see people who have been detained, with officials refusing to grant access despite court orders in some jurisdictions that they do so.

An Oscar-nominated Iranian director says he will not attend this year's Academy Awards because of a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump.

Asghar Farhadi is an acclaimed director whose film "The Salesman" was nominated for best foreign film. He said Sunday that the uncertainty surrounding his ability to travel to the United States was "in no way acceptable," and that he would not attend the ceremony even if an exception to the ban were possible.

An executive order issued last week temporarily bans the entry of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. The Trump administration says it is necessary to keep out potential terrorists.

Farhadi became the first Iranian to win an Oscar when his film "A Separation" was awarded best foreign film in 2012.

The head of the University of Notre Dame is calling on President Donald Trump to rescind his restrictions on refugees entering the United States.

The Rev. John Jenkins on Sunday called Trump's action indiscriminate and abrupt and predicted it would diminish the country.

Trump signed an executive order Friday suspending the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and barring the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely. The order also temporarily stops entry for citizens of six other majority Muslim nations.

Notre Dame is considered one of the flagship institutions of American Catholicism. The university invites U.S. presidents to speak at commencement, including President Barack Obama, who spoke in 2009. A Notre Dame spokesman says the school has not yet decided whether to invite Trump.

A Syrian musician who recently toured with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma says he is waiting to see whether he will be allowed to return to his New York home after President Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations.

Kinan Azmeh, a clarinet player who lives in Brooklyn, said Sunday he does not have a "plan B" if he is not allowed back into the United States later this week.

Azmeh is in Lebanon to perform with a local orchestra after rehearsing and performing with Yo-Yo Ma in China and Denmark earlier this month.

The 40-year-old musician is one of thousands of green card holders who found their immigration status in limbo after Trump's order Friday.

Azmeh was born in Damascus and moved to the U.S. 16 years ago.

Iranian-born Swedish actress Bahar Pars, who hopes to share an Oscar for best foreign film, fears the ban will affect any possible plans to fly to the United States.

The 37-year-old Pars, who came to Sweden as a child, plays the female lead in the Swedish Oscar-nominated film "A Man Called Ove."

She told Swedish national news agency TT that "it's not at all certain that I'm going to get in."

Describing Trump's executive order as racist, she told TT it took her two months to get her visa to the U.S. approved after applying using her Iranian passport.

She said she was "very upset" by this, but added that it would also be good to go there and say to the whole world this is wrong.

The European Union's foreign policy chief lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, insisting that instead of building walls, the continent will "celebrate" every wall which is torn down and "every new bridge that is built up."

Building on criticism from several national EU capitals on Trump's decision to impose a travel ban on refugees, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that "all men are first and foremost human beings, with their inalienable rights."

She says in a blog post that "everyone deserves respect, beyond their faith, gender, and nationality."

And she added between brackets "it feels so strange that we need to restate this, just days after Holocaust Remembrance Day."

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy "seems to have made me an alien" and fears he may not be able to return to his U.S. home.

Farah is a British citizen who was born in Somalia, one of seven predominantly Muslim nations subject to the executive order signed by Trump that temporarily bans entry to the United States.

Farah currently is training in Ethiopia. His family is based in Portland, Oregon.

The 33-year-old says on his Facebook page that "it's deeply troubling" he will have to tell his children that he might not be able to come home.

Farah's agent told The Associated Press that they were trying to clarify the situation with U.S. authorities.

The White House chief of staff says President Donald Trump acted early on in his term to impose a travel ban on refugees to block "people who want to do bad things to America."

Reince Priebus says there's nothing to apologize for after Friday's executive order drew widespread protests. A court order has temporarily barred the U.S. from deporting certain people.

Trump is temporarily barring refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

Priebus tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the action "doesn't affect green card holders moving forward" — the subject of legal challenges.

Scores were detained Saturday upon arrival at U.S. airports, spurring the judge's order.

Priebus says officials were using "discretionary authority" to ask "a few more questions" at U.S. airports.

A petition set up on a British government website calling for U.S. President Donald Trump to be barred from visiting the country has attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures, qualifying it for a parliamentary debate.

Trump has drawn widespread condemnation in Britain for his ban on refugees and people from selected Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Prime Minister Theresa May invited him to make a state visit to Britain this year during her trip to Washington last week.

The petition on the British parliament's website is titled: "Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom." It says his "well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received" by either Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles.

The website says parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for debate.

A top adviser to President Donald Trump says a federal judge's emergency order "really doesn't affect" his efforts to temporarily bar refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

Kellyanne Conway says on "Fox News Sunday" that a federal judge's late Saturday emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump's travel ban "really doesn't affect the executive order at all."

Conway says Trump's order is about "preventing, not detaining" and says that only a very small percentage of travers have been impacted.

Conway says that it's a "small price to pay" to keep the American public safe.

Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates' national airline, says a number of its passengers have been affected by the new U.S. immigration policies and it is working closely with American officials on the matter.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said Sunday it is offering affected passengers refunds or flight changes where possible. It did not say how many passengers were affected.

Etihad passengers flying to the U.S. are screened and have their passports stamped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stationed in the Emirati capital rather than on arrival. Etihad says it is working with officials there and in the U.S. to address the new immigration policies.

The airline says: "Our joint interest is on ensuring that compliance and the well-being of all passengers is maintained across our global network."

President Donald Trump's immigration order is getting pushback in Congress.

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio says "I think we should slow down" and that lawmakers "ought to be part" of the discussions about how best to tighten screening for foreigners who enter the United States.

Portman tells CNN's "State of the Union" that he doesn't think Trump executive action was properly reviewed before he signed it Friday.

Portman is urging everyone "to take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense for our national security" and reflects the fact that "America's always been a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants."

He says America is "this beacon of hope and opportunity for the rest of the world" and should remain that way.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the Netherlands is convinced that refugees "deserve a safe shelter regardless of their origin or religion."

In a statement Sunday, Rutte added that he and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders regret the U.S. travel restrictions and reject them.

The condemnation from the Dutch government drew a swift rebuke from anti-Islam populist lawmaker Geert Wilders. Wilders tweeted in Dutch: "What a weakling."

Wilders advocates closing Dutch borders to immigrants from Islamic nations. He is polling strongly ahead of March 15 elections for the lower house of Dutch Parliament.

Switzerland's foreign minister says U.S. President Donald Trump's order to freeze immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries goes "in the wrong direction."

Didier Burkhalter said in a statement Sunday that it was "up to the American authorities to decide the immigration conditions in their country."

But he said measures taken to prevent terrorism must "respect fundamental rights as well as international law" and suggested Trump's order fails to do so.

Burkhalter said that as far as the rules apply to refugees it would be a breach of the Geneva Conventions for the United States, a signatory, to impose a general ban on people coming from Syria.

He said Switzerland would monitor the situation closely and provide its citizens with support, if necessary.

Iraqis say they are shocked and disappointed with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning citizens from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Halima Khalaf, 72, has been living in Washington state with her sons, daughters and grandchildren for four years. She returned to Iraq earlier this month to attend her brother's funeral and now fears she may not be able to go back to the United States.

In an interview Sunday, she said "Iraqis are not terrorists, but friends to the American people."

Baghdad resident Sarmad Salih Ahmed, who has been trying to resettle in the United States since 2014, said he's "depressed" because of the order, which he says is against "humanity."

Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

Iran has summoned the Swiss envoy to Tehran over U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order suspending the entry of refugees and citizens from Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries.

The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as saying Sunday that the temporary travel ban is a "violation of mutual obligations, such as the 1955 treaty between the two countries."

Iran and the U.S. have not had diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran.

The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party says the planned state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump should be postponed until he lifts his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday questioned the invitation for Trump to visit Britain later this year extended by British Prime Minister Theresa May during her visit to Washington last week.

He says he is "not happy" with Trump visiting "until that ban is lifted."

Referring to "awful attacks on Muslims," ''awful misogynist language" and the "absurd idea" of building a wall along the Mexican border, Corbyn says Britain should make it clear to the Trump administration "that we are extremely upset about it, and I think it would be totally wrong for him to be coming here while that situation is going on."

Dubai Airports, the operator the world's busiest airport for international travel, said it is "monitoring the situation" after the United States imposed a temporary travel ban on seven countries.

It directed customers with questions on the new visa policies to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website or their booking agent.

The airport operator runs Dubai International Airport, which is the world's third busiest overall and handles more international passengers than any other. It is the hub for Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, which flies to 12 U.S. cities.

Emirates said in a written response to questions that "a very small number" of passengers were affected by the entry restrictions, without providing details. The state-owned airline said it helping those affected to rebook their flights or get refunds.

The carrier said none of its crew members, who are drawn from countries around the world, were affected by the change. Airline crew from the seven banned countries would also be subject to the ban if working on a U.S.-bound flight.

The airline says it has "made the necessary adjustments to our crewing, to comply with the latest requirements. Emirates continues to operate flights to the US as scheduled."

The travel ban applies to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to speak by phone with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.

The White House says they are expected to speak later Sunday.

Neither Saudi Arabia, a major oil exporter, nor the United Arab Emirates, home to the commercial hub of Dubai, are included in a new U.S. travel ban that applies to seven Muslim-majority countries.

Both countries are close U.S. allies and part of the coalition battling the Islamic State group.

The Iraqi government says it understands the security motives behind President Donald Trump's decision to ban seven predominantly Muslim nations, including Iraq, from entering the United States, but underlined that their "special relationship" should be taken into consideration.

Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi says Iraqis are hoping that the new orders "will not affect the efforts of strengthening and developing the bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States."

Al-Hadithi told The Associated Press on Sunday the government hopes the "measures will be temporary and for regulatory reasons and not permanent at least for Iraq."

The order, signed Friday, included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen. It also suspended the U.S. refugee program for four months.

The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and citizens of seven mostly-Muslim countries from entering the United States was felt immediately in Britain.

A British lawmaker who was born in the Iraqi capital Baghdad said on Sunday he feels discriminated against "for the first time in my life."

Nadhim Zahawi, a member of parliament since 2010, says lawyers advised him he will not be able to enter the U.S. under the ban introduced on Friday.

Zahawi describes the impact on him and his family as "demeaning." He told local television his sons studying in the U.S. would not be able to visit Britain without facing a 90-day delay in returning to their studies.

An Iranian woman living in Scotland, Hamaseh Tayari, was stranded in Costa Rica in the wake of the ban, unable to board her scheduled flight home because it stopped in New York. She was seeking an alternative route with help from funds raised by a crowdfunding campaign.

A spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel says the German leader believes the Trump administration's travel ban on people from some Muslim-majority countries is wrong.

Germany's dpa news agency quoted Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert saying Sunday that "she is convinced that even the necessary, resolute fight against terrorism doesn't justify putting people of a particular origin or particular faith under general suspicion."

Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone Saturday for the first time since his inauguration. A joint U.S.-German statement following the call made no mention of the topic of refugees or travel bans.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has criticized President Donald Trump's order temporarily banning refugees from entering the United States.

Her official spokesman said Sunday that May does "not agree" with Trump's order and will challenge the US government if it has an adverse effect on British nationals.

The official comment came after May refused to condemn the ban during a visit to Turkey to meet with Turkish leaders. She said in Turkey the decision was a matter solely for the United States.

After she returned to Britain from a whirlwind visit to Washington, where she met Trump at the White House, and Turkey, her spokesman said Britain did not approve of Trump's policy.

The British government is studying the order to gauge its impact on British nationals.

The Homeland Security Department says a New York court order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to President Donald Trump's travel ban will not affect the overall implementation of the White House executive action.

The agency said the court order affected a relatively small number of travelers who were inconvenienced by security procedures upon their return.

The department's statement said: "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," according to the DHS statement.

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the White House, said that nothing in the judge's order "in anyway impedes or prevents the implementation of the president's executive order which remains in full, complete and total effect."</s>President Donald Trump signs an executive order on extreme vetting during an event at the Pentagon in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By The Associated Press

A federal judge issued an emergency order Saturday night temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to President Donald Trump's travel ban, saying travelers who had been detained had a strong argument that their legal rights had been violated.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement early Sunday that said the court order would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order and the court order affected a small number of travelers who were inconvenienced by security procedures upon their return.

"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," according to the DHS statement. Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the White House, said: "Nothing in the Brooklyn judge's order in anyway impedes or prevents the implementation of the president's executive order which remains in full, complete and total effect."

U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York issued the emergency order after lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a court petition on behalf of people from seven predominantly Muslim nations who were detained at airports across the country as the ban took effect.

The judge's order addressed only a portion of Trump's executive action. As the decision was announced, cheers broke out in crowds of demonstrators who had gathered at American airports and outside the Brooklyn courthouse where the ruling was issued.

The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who 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.

It was unclear how quickly the judge's order might affect people in detention, or whether it would allow others to resume flying. The White House said the court ruling affected a small number of people who had boarded planes before the White House order was issued.

Homeland Security said those travelers "were inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented. These individuals went through enhanced security screenings and are being processed for entry to the United States, consistent with our immigration laws and judicial orders."

But the detention of the travelers caused a great deal of confusion.

"Realistically, we don't even know if people are going to be allowed onto the planes," said ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt. "This order would protect people who they allow to come here and reach U.S. soil."

Under Trump's order, it had appeared that an untold number of foreign-born U.S. residents now traveling outside the U.S. could be stuck overseas for at least 90 days even though they held permanent residency "green cards" or other visas. However, an official with the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday night that no green-card holders from the seven countries cited in Trump's order had been prevented from entering the U.S.

Some foreign nationals who were allowed to board flights before the order was signed Friday had been detained at U.S. airports, told they were no longer welcome. The DHS official who briefed reporters by phone said 109 people who were in transit on airplanes had been denied entry and 173 had not been allowed to get on their planes overseas.

In her three-page order, Donnelly wrote that without the stay "there will be substantial and irreparable injury to refugees, visa-holders and other individuals from nations subject to the Jan. 27, 2017, executive order."

Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

Trump's order singled out Syrians for the most aggressive ban, indefinitely blocking entry for anyone from that country, including those fleeing civil war.

The directive did not do anything to prevent attacks from homegrown extremists who were already in America, a primary concern of federal law enforcement officials. It also omitted Saudi Arabia, home to most of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

As a candidate Trump pledged to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S., then said he would implement "extreme vetting" for people from countries with significant terror concerns. He told reporters Saturday the order is "not a Muslim ban."

"It's working out very nicely," Trump said of the implementation of his order. "We're going to have a very, very strict ban and we're going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years."

The order sparked protests at several of the nation's international airports, including New York's Kennedy and Chicago's O'Hare and facilities in Minneapolis and Dallas-Fort Worth. In San Francisco, hundreds blocked the street outside the arrival area of the international terminal. Several dozen demonstrated at the airport in Portland, Oregon, briefly disrupting light rail service while hoisting signs that read "Portland Coffee Is From Yemen" and chanting anti-Trump slogans. U.S. lawmakers and officials around the globe also criticized the move.

Two of the first people blocked from entering the United States were Iraqis with links to the U.S. military. Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi were detained by immigration officials after landing at New York's Kennedy airport Friday night. Both had been released by Saturday night after their lawyers intervened.

The government can exempt foreign nationals from the ban if their entry is deemed in the national interest. But it was not immediately clear how that exemption might be applied.

Diplomats from the seven countries singled out by Trump's order would still be allowed into the U.S.

Those already in the U.S. with a visa or green card would be allowed to stay, according to the official, who wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the details of how Trump's order was being put in place and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Trump's order also directed U.S. officials to review information as needed to fully vet foreigners asking to come to the U.S. and draft a list of countries that don't provide that information. That left open the possibility that citizens of other countries could also face a travel ban.

The U.S. may still admit refugees on a case-by-case basis during the freeze, and the government would continue to process requests from people claiming religious persecution, "provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would challenge the constitutionality of Trump's order.

"There is no evidence that refugees — the most thoroughly vetted of all people entering our nation — are a threat to national security," said Lena F. Masri, the group's national litigation director. "This is an order that is based on bigotry, not reality."

John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism official who worked under Democratic and Republican administrations, said the order didn't address America's "primary terrorism-related threat" — people already in the U.S. who become inspired by what they see on the internet.

Trump's order drew support from some Republican lawmakers who have urged more security measures for the refugee vetting program, particularly for those from Syria.

It is unclear how many people would be immediately impacted by the non-refugee travel ban. According to the statistics maintained by the Homeland Security Department, about 17,000 students from the seven designated countries were allowed into the U.S. for the 2015-2016 school year. In 2015 more than 86,000 people from those countries arrived in the U.S. on other, non-immigrant visas and more than 52,000 others became legal permanent residents.

Last year the U.S. resettled 85,000 people displaced by war, political oppression, hunger and religious prejudice, including more than 12,000 Syrians. Before leaving office President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would accept 110,000 refugees in the coming year, but Trump's order cut that by more than half to 50,000.</s>President Trump's executive order denying all refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries reverberated across the USA and around the globe Saturday. The overarching ban, which remains in place, suspends the entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, halts the admission of refugees from Syria indefinitely and bars entry for three months to residents from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

Below are the latest updates on the ban and related protests from The Associated Press. Reload this post for the most recent news.

President Donald Trump is defending his sweeping order on immigration and says he will find other ways to help those suffering from Syria's bloody civil war.

Trump says in a statement Sunday amid widespread protests that "America is a proud nation of immigrants." He says the country "will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression," but "while protecting our own citizens and border."

Trump's order halting the Syrian refugee program and temporarily suspending immigration from seven majority Muslim countries has sparked protests across the country.

Trump insists it's "not a Muslim ban" and blames the media for that suggestion.

Trump says the U.S. will resume issuing visas to all countries impacted after a review of security policies.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Boston to call for an end to President Donald Trump's order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.

Demonstrators filled Copley Square in Boston on Sunday afternoon to protest Trump's order and his pledge to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Protesters carried signs supporting Muslims and other immigrants. One sign held by a young child said: "Don't Ban My Grandma and Grandpa."

Another protester took direct aim at Trump with a sign that read: "Your comb-over doesn't cover your xenophobia."

Attendees included U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh.

Omar Al Tammeemi says he's worried he may not be able to see his wife and young son who are in Iraq following President Donald Trump's immigration order.

Al Tammeemi is among more than 100 protesters gathered at the international arrivals terminal at Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

He says he worked as a translator for the U.S. military in Iraq from 2008 to 2013 and came to the U.S. afterward on a special refugee visa. He says his wife, who holds a green card, and their young son, a U.S. citizen, are in Iraq visiting her sick mother.

Al Tammeemi says his wife is "scared to come."

Four Democratic members of Congress who attended the demonstration said they were turned away by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the scene when they sought a meeting about whether people were being held unlawfully.

Syrian refugee Mafedih Alholoqi says his relatives were turned away from a planned flight from Jordan to Louisville, Kentucky, following President Donald Trump's order on immigration.

The Courier-Journal reports that Alholoqi was among several dozen protesters who gathered at Louisville International Airport. They chanted "no hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here," in opposition to Trump's order.

Through a translator, Alholoqi said Trump's order "broke their hearts" after relatives went through more than two years of background checks, interviews and the anticipation of starting a new life.

Trump's order includes a temporary travel ban for people from seven Muslim nations and a temporary ban on refugees entering the United States.

Officials say nine people are being released after they were detained overnight at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in the wake of President Donald Trump's travel ban barring citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations from entry into the U.S.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings' office said Sunday that all nine were in the process of being released. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also notified airport officials of the release.

Texas representatives for the Council on American-Islamic Relations say the majority of those detained are Iranian.

Airport officials say upward of 800 people gathered at the airport Sunday to protest the detention. It was the second day of protests at the airport following Trump's executive order Friday.

Other protests were held elsewhere in Texas, including particularly large gatherings in Houston and at the Austin airport.

Chicago's Cardinal Blase Cupich is calling President Donald Trump's immigration order "a dark moment in U.S. history."

Cupich said Sunday that the president's sweeping executive order that includes temporarily barring the citizens of seven majority Muslim nations from entering the United States "is contrary to both Catholic and American values."

The Catholic leader calls the order a break with the nation's long history of welcoming refugees because it aims to turn away refugees, particularly Muslims, fleeing violence, oppression and persecution.

Cupich says the order will only serve to give "aid and comfort to those who would destroy our way of life."

He says, "The world is watching as we abandon our commitments to American values."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says six people barred from entering the U.S. because of President Donald Trump's travel ban remained in detention at Kennedy Airport on Sunday afternoon.

Immigration lawyers worked through the day to try and gain the release of several people being held at the airport, with some success.

ACLU attorney Andre Segura said at least seven detainees were released Saturday morning, with more people expected to be freed in the afternoon.

Some people who were initially told they would be deported were allowed to enter the U.S.

They included a 21-year-old woman with dual Iraqi and Jordanian citizenship who had come to the U.S. to be with her fiance and a 67-year-old woman with Yemeni citizenship who had come to live with her son because she was very ill.

Protesters shouting "Ban Trump" have descended on Miami International Airport to show their opposition to President Donald Trump's travel ban.

Protester Rowan Vaquez said the ban "hit me really deeply" because her family emigrated from Venezuela to avoid political persecution.

Juan Gonzalez attended the demonstration to show Trump that "we're not going to accept the terrible things he's doing." Gonzalez is from Puerto Rico and works in Miami.

Trump's order placed a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program. Syrians are indefinitely blocked from entry.

Other protests were scheduled for Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered outside the White House to protest President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

Holding signs with slogans such as "No Ban, No Wall," and "We are all immigrants in America," the diverse crowd chanted and cheered in support of Muslims and other refugees.

Vocal and expressive, the crowd was alternately solemn and warm in expressing peaceful solidarity with refugees affected by Trump's order.

Maryam Kanna is a 24-year-old Iraqi-American who lives in Arlington, Virginia. She calls the executive order "totally alienating." Kanna says she worries about her uncle, a British citizen, and her cousins in Canada, who may no longer be able to enter the U.S.

Protests were also reported in St. Louis, Minneapolis; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; and Portland, Maine.

Protesters are streaming into New York City's Battery Park to demand an end to President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven Muslim nations.

The big crowd gathered Sunday near the ferries that carry tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the place where 12 million people entered the United States in the 20th century.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer addressed the crowd, saying, "We are gonna win this fight everybody!"

People held signs with slogans including "America was built by refugees," and "Muslim ban is un-American."

The rally followed a night of big demonstrations at New York's Kennedy Airport, where thousands of people spontaneously gathered to demand the release of detained travelers.

A Republican congressman from Utah says he doesn't understand why the Trump administration is targeting legal permanent residents with his new policy to block immigration from several Muslim-majority countries.

Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah said Sunday it would be "wrong" if Trump is targeting people based on their religion.

He said that enhanced vetting is needed for people traveling to the United States from "certain countries," but that legal permanent residents are in "a different category."

Chaffetz said, "I don't understand what they're trying to do in those categories. People that have a green card supposedly already have been vetted. So there needs to be some further clarification."

The congressman addressed reporters in Palm Springs, California during a meeting of the Koch political network.

More than 100 protesters and dozens of immigration attorneys have gathered at the international arrivals terminal at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, cheering people arriving from Muslim countries. The crowd chanted "No ban, no wall" and other slogans, and at one point sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Syed Moktadir is a 45-year-old management consultant from Sterling, Virginia. He says Trump's order banning entry to the United States from seven Muslim countries has sparked fear in Muslims in the United States and abroad.

Moktadir, a Muslim who immigrated from Bangladesh, said his 84-year-old father, is currently in Bangladesh. Though his father is a U.S. citizen, he says he's concerned about whether his father will be able to return.

Moktadir says Trump's order is "internationally giving us a very bad name."

Authorities say six people were arrested at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where people gathered to protest President Donald Trump's executive order regarding citizens of seven Muslim nations.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a news release that the six were arrested Saturday night. They say about 50 protesters formed two groups with the first group protesting Trump's immigration order, followed by a second group that protested community-related issues.

Police said the protesters were asked to leave because of public safety concerns, and six people refused. They were arrested and now face charges that include trespassing and resist, obstruct and delay.

Trump's executive order barred citizens of seven Muslim nations from entering the United States.

The attorney generals of 15 states and the District of Columbia are issuing a joint statement condemning as unconstitutional President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

The attorney generals say that religious liberty has been a bedrock principle of the country and no president can change that truth.

The states taking part in the joint statement issued Sunday are Washington, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Virginia, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, New Mexico, Iowa, Maine and Maryland.

The attorney generals say they expect Trump's executive order to be struck down, but in the meantime they'll work to make sure as few as possible suffer as a result of the order.

The conservative Koch political network is condemning President Donald Trump's plan to crack down on immigration from Muslim-majority countries.

Network co-chairman Brian Hooks said in a statement released Sunday, "The travel ban is the wrong approach and will likely be counterproductive." He added, "We believe it is possible to keep Americans safe without excluding people who wish to come here to contribute and pursue a better life for their families."

Hooks made the comments as billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and hundreds of his network's major donors gather for a semi-annual conference in Palm Springs, California.

The Koch network is among the most influential players in the conservative movement and has strong ties in the Trump administration, particularly with Vice President Mike Pence.

Demonstrators have gathered again at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to protest President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations from entry into the U.S.

An estimated 200 people held signs and chanted "Let them go!" as they awaited word Sunday on what state representatives for the Council on American-Islamic Relations say are nine people detained at the airport. The council says the majority are Iranian.

Other protests are planned for other parts of Texas over Trump's executive order, including in Houston and at the airport in Austin.

Protesters also are rallying Sunday at Miami International Airport and elsewhere around the country.

Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union say they are still trying to determine how many people are detained in the U.S. as a result of President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project deputy director Lee Gelernt told reporters in a conference call Sunday that there is still a state of confusion over the status of detainees and the rules for entering the country.

He said lawyers are waiting for the government to give them a list of names of people who have been detained.

Until then, he said, "we just simply don't know how many people there are and where they are."

Other advocates say that immigration lawyers have had trouble getting to see people who have been detained, with officials refusing to grant access despite court orders in some jurisdictions that they do so.

An Oscar-nominated Iranian director says he will not attend this year's Academy Awards because of a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump.

Asghar Farhadi is an acclaimed director whose film "The Salesman" was nominated for best foreign film. He said Sunday that the uncertainty surrounding his ability to travel to the United States was "in no way acceptable," and that he would not attend the ceremony even if an exception to the ban were possible.

An executive order issued last week temporarily bans the entry of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. The Trump administration says it is necessary to keep out potential terrorists.

Farhadi became the first Iranian to win an Oscar when his film "A Separation" was awarded best foreign film in 2012.

The head of the University of Notre Dame is calling on President Donald Trump to rescind his restrictions on refugees entering the United States.

The Rev. John Jenkins on Sunday called Trump's action indiscriminate and abrupt and predicted it would diminish the country.

Trump signed an executive order Friday suspending the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and barring the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely. The order also temporarily stops entry for citizens of six other majority Muslim nations.

Notre Dame is considered one of the flagship institutions of American Catholicism. The university invites U.S. presidents to speak at commencement, including President Barack Obama, who spoke in 2009. A Notre Dame spokesman says the school has not yet decided whether to invite Trump.

A Syrian musician who recently toured with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma says he is waiting to see whether he will be allowed to return to his New York home after President Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations.

Kinan Azmeh, a clarinet player who lives in Brooklyn, said Sunday he does not have a "plan B" if he is not allowed back into the United States later this week.

Azmeh is in Lebanon to perform with a local orchestra after rehearsing and performing with Yo-Yo Ma in China and Denmark earlier this month.

The 40-year-old musician is one of thousands of green card holders who found their immigration status in limbo after Trump's order Friday.

Azmeh was born in Damascus and moved to the U.S. 16 years ago.

Iranian-born Swedish actress Bahar Pars, who hopes to share an Oscar for best foreign film, fears the ban will affect any possible plans to fly to the United States.

The 37-year-old Pars, who came to Sweden as a child, plays the female lead in the Swedish Oscar-nominated film "A Man Called Ove."

She told Swedish national news agency TT that "it's not at all certain that I'm going to get in."

Describing Trump's executive order as racist, she told TT it took her two months to get her visa to the U.S. approved after applying using her Iranian passport.

She said she was "very upset" by this, but added that it would also be good to go there and say to the whole world this is wrong.

The European Union's foreign policy chief lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, insisting that instead of building walls, the continent will "celebrate" every wall which is torn down and "every new bridge that is built up."

Building on criticism from several national EU capitals on Trump's decision to impose a travel ban on refugees, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that "all men are first and foremost human beings, with their inalienable rights."

She says in a blog post that "everyone deserves respect, beyond their faith, gender, and nationality."

And she added between brackets "it feels so strange that we need to restate this, just days after Holocaust Remembrance Day."

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy "seems to have made me an alien" and fears he may not be able to return to his U.S. home.

Farah is a British citizen who was born in Somalia, one of seven predominantly Muslim nations subject to the executive order signed by Trump that temporarily bans entry to the United States.

Farah currently is training in Ethiopia. His family is based in Portland, Oregon.

The 33-year-old says on his Facebook page that "it's deeply troubling" he will have to tell his children that he might not be able to come home.

Farah's agent told The Associated Press that they were trying to clarify the situation with U.S. authorities.

The White House chief of staff says President Donald Trump acted early on in his term to impose a travel ban on refugees to block "people who want to do bad things to America."

Reince Priebus says there's nothing to apologize for after Friday's executive order drew widespread protests. A court order has temporarily barred the U.S. from deporting certain people.

Trump is temporarily barring refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

Priebus tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that the action "doesn't affect green card holders moving forward" — the subject of legal challenges.

Scores were detained Saturday upon arrival at U.S. airports, spurring the judge's order.

Priebus says officials were using "discretionary authority" to ask "a few more questions" at U.S. airports.

A petition set up on a British government website calling for U.S. President Donald Trump to be barred from visiting the country has attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures, qualifying it for a parliamentary debate.

Trump has drawn widespread condemnation in Britain for his ban on refugees and people from selected Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Prime Minister Theresa May invited him to make a state visit to Britain this year during her trip to Washington last week.

The petition on the British parliament's website is titled: "Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom." It says his "well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received" by either Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles.

The website says parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for debate.

A top adviser to President Donald Trump says a federal judge's emergency order "really doesn't affect" his efforts to temporarily bar refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

Kellyanne Conway says on "Fox News Sunday" that a federal judge's late Saturday emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump's travel ban "really doesn't affect the executive order at all."

Conway says Trump's order is about "preventing, not detaining" and says that only a very small percentage of travers have been impacted.

Conway says that it's a "small price to pay" to keep the American public safe.

Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates' national airline, says a number of its passengers have been affected by the new U.S. immigration policies and it is working closely with American officials on the matter.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said Sunday it is offering affected passengers refunds or flight changes where possible. It did not say how many passengers were affected.

Etihad passengers flying to the U.S. are screened and have their passports stamped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stationed in the Emirati capital rather than on arrival. Etihad says it is working with officials there and in the U.S. to address the new immigration policies.

The airline says: "Our joint interest is on ensuring that compliance and the well-being of all passengers is maintained across our global network."

President Donald Trump's immigration order is getting pushback in Congress.

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio says "I think we should slow down" and that lawmakers "ought to be part" of the discussions about how best to tighten screening for foreigners who enter the United States.

Portman tells CNN's "State of the Union" that he doesn't think Trump executive action was properly reviewed before he signed it Friday.

Portman is urging everyone "to take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense for our national security" and reflects the fact that "America's always been a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants."

He says America is "this beacon of hope and opportunity for the rest of the world" and should remain that way.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the Netherlands is convinced that refugees "deserve a safe shelter regardless of their origin or religion."

In a statement Sunday, Rutte added that he and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders regret the U.S. travel restrictions and reject them.

The condemnation from the Dutch government drew a swift rebuke from anti-Islam populist lawmaker Geert Wilders. Wilders tweeted in Dutch: "What a weakling."

Wilders advocates closing Dutch borders to immigrants from Islamic nations. He is polling strongly ahead of March 15 elections for the lower house of Dutch Parliament.

Switzerland's foreign minister says U.S. President Donald Trump's order to freeze immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries goes "in the wrong direction."

Didier Burkhalter said in a statement Sunday that it was "up to the American authorities to decide the immigration conditions in their country."

But he said measures taken to prevent terrorism must "respect fundamental rights as well as international law" and suggested Trump's order fails to do so.

Burkhalter said that as far as the rules apply to refugees it would be a breach of the Geneva Conventions for the United States, a signatory, to impose a general ban on people coming from Syria.

He said Switzerland would monitor the situation closely and provide its citizens with support, if necessary.

Iraqis say they are shocked and disappointed with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning citizens from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Halima Khalaf, 72, has been living in Washington state with her sons, daughters and grandchildren for four years. She returned to Iraq earlier this month to attend her brother's funeral and now fears she may not be able to go back to the United States.

In an interview Sunday, she said "Iraqis are not terrorists, but friends to the American people."

Baghdad resident Sarmad Salih Ahmed, who has been trying to resettle in the United States since 2014, said he's "depressed" because of the order, which he says is against "humanity."

Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

Iran has summoned the Swiss envoy to Tehran over U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order suspending the entry of refugees and citizens from Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries.

The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as saying Sunday that the temporary travel ban is a "violation of mutual obligations, such as the 1955 treaty between the two countries."

Iran and the U.S. have not had diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran.

The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party says the planned state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump should be postponed until he lifts his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday questioned the invitation for Trump to visit Britain later this year extended by British Prime Minister Theresa May during her visit to Washington last week.

He says he is "not happy" with Trump visiting "until that ban is lifted."

Referring to "awful attacks on Muslims," ''awful misogynist language" and the "absurd idea" of building a wall along the Mexican border, Corbyn says Britain should make it clear to the Trump administration "that we are extremely upset about it, and I think it would be totally wrong for him to be coming here while that situation is going on."

Dubai Airports, the operator the world's busiest airport for international travel, said it is "monitoring the situation" after the United States imposed a temporary travel ban on seven countries.

It directed customers with questions on the new visa policies to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website or their booking agent.

The airport operator runs Dubai International Airport, which is the world's third busiest overall and handles more international passengers than any other. It is the hub for Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, which flies to 12 U.S. cities.

Emirates said in a written response to questions that "a very small number" of passengers were affected by the entry restrictions, without providing details. The state-owned airline said it helping those affected to rebook their flights or get refunds.

The carrier said none of its crew members, who are drawn from countries around the world, were affected by the change. Airline crew from the seven banned countries would also be subject to the ban if working on a U.S.-bound flight.

The airline says it has "made the necessary adjustments to our crewing, to comply with the latest requirements. Emirates continues to operate flights to the US as scheduled."

The travel ban applies to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to speak by phone with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.

The White House says they are expected to speak later Sunday.

Neither Saudi Arabia, a major oil exporter, nor the United Arab Emirates, home to the commercial hub of Dubai, are included in a new U.S. travel ban that applies to seven Muslim-majority countries.

Both countries are close U.S. allies and part of the coalition battling the Islamic State group.

The Iraqi government says it understands the security motives behind President Donald Trump's decision to ban seven predominantly Muslim nations, including Iraq, from entering the United States, but underlined that their "special relationship" should be taken into consideration.

Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi says Iraqis are hoping that the new orders "will not affect the efforts of strengthening and developing the bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States."

Al-Hadithi told The Associated Press on Sunday the government hopes the "measures will be temporary and for regulatory reasons and not permanent at least for Iraq."

The order, signed Friday, included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen. It also suspended the U.S. refugee program for four months.

The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's ban on refugees and citizens of seven mostly-Muslim countries from entering the United States was felt immediately in Britain.

A British lawmaker who was born in the Iraqi capital Baghdad said on Sunday he feels discriminated against "for the first time in my life."

Nadhim Zahawi, a member of parliament since 2010, says lawyers advised him he will not be able to enter the U.S. under the ban introduced on Friday.

Zahawi describes the impact on him and his family as "demeaning." He told local television his sons studying in the U.S. would not be able to visit Britain without facing a 90-day delay in returning to their studies.

An Iranian woman living in Scotland, Hamaseh Tayari, was stranded in Costa Rica in the wake of the ban, unable to board her scheduled flight home because it stopped in New York. She was seeking an alternative route with help from funds raised by a crowdfunding campaign.

A spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel says the German leader believes the Trump administration's travel ban on people from some Muslim-majority countries is wrong.

Germany's dpa news agency quoted Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert saying Sunday that "she is convinced that even the necessary, resolute fight against terrorism doesn't justify putting people of a particular origin or particular faith under general suspicion."

Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone Saturday for the first time since his inauguration. A joint U.S.-German statement following the call made no mention of the topic of refugees or travel bans.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has criticized President Donald Trump's order temporarily banning refugees from entering the United States.

Her official spokesman said Sunday that May does "not agree" with Trump's order and will challenge the US government if it has an adverse effect on British nationals.

The official comment came after May refused to condemn the ban during a visit to Turkey to meet with Turkish leaders. She said in Turkey the decision was a matter solely for the United States.

After she returned to Britain from a whirlwind visit to Washington, where she met Trump at the White House, and Turkey, her spokesman said Britain did not approve of Trump's policy.

The British government is studying the order to gauge its impact on British nationals.

The Homeland Security Department says a New York court order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to President Donald Trump's travel ban will not affect the overall implementation of the White House executive action.

The agency said the court order affected a relatively small number of travelers who were inconvenienced by security procedures upon their return.

The department's statement said: "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," according to the DHS statement.

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the White House, said that nothing in the judge's order "in anyway impedes or prevents the implementation of the president's executive order which remains in full, complete and total effect."</s>President Donald Trump's executive order on Saturday limiting access to the United States by travelers from predominantly-Muslim countries could have a ripple effect in Niagara.

While the Canada Border Services Agency could not confirm if anyone had been denied entry at Niagara border crossings over the weekend due to the controversial travel restrictions, several posts on social media claimed a number of people living in the U.S. on green cards have been refused entry back home after visiting Niagara.

One message on Twitter, using the hashtag #MuslimBan, claimed two Yemen natives, who hold green cards, were denied entry into the U.S. at Niagara Falls on Saturday. Another tweet said a Somali doctor working in Buffalo, N.Y. on a green card who was in Niagara Falls for the weekend was also denied entry.

Trump on Saturday imposed a temporary ban on all refugees and an indefinite one on Syrian refugees; he also imposed 90-day restriction on travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia.

Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Buffalo, N.Y. could not be reached for comment.

“There's so much confusion right now,” said Sean Polden, an immigration consultant from St. Catharines. “Everything seems to be up in the air. Until things are more formalized and the risk is known, I think it would be important for people to just stay put and, fortunately, Niagara Falls has a lot of hotels.”

Polden wasn't aware of any cases of people stranded in Niagara and said it could be difficult to determine how many may be here.

“Traditionally, immigrant communities are very connected. Even if some ends up being stranded here, the majority will have a back up option such as friends or families they can go to for support. We might not necessarily see them stay in Niagara.”

Canadian immigration lawyer Julie Taub said the local fallout from Trump's immigration restrictions may take time to unfold. But it's likely, the Ottawa lawyer said, that more refugees will land here, and more will attempt to cross the border illegally into the U.S. from Canada.

Ottawa immigration lawyer Hadi Hakimi said many of the people he spoke to Saturday were upset and confused by Trump's edict. "I personally think this decision will not serve any security purpose," Hakimi said. "Banning people based on country of birth, religion, nationality, it's ridiculous."

The Afghan-born Hakimi said he spoke Saturday with one man, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, who was concerned he might not be able to return to the U.S. if he travelled to Iran.

Under one interpretation of Trump's new order, tens of thousands of Canadians with dual citizenship from one of the seven countries face a 90-day travel ban.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau said on Twitter late Saturday that the Canadian government was seeking more information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation: "We are in contact with U.S. DHS and U.S. DOT to get more clarity on the impacts of the restrictions on travels. We will be providing further information to Canadians as it is available."

It's possible that Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen will fall under the temporary ban if he's not travelling on a diplomatic passport. Hussen, who was appointed to cabinet earlier this month, was born in Somalia and came to Canada as a refugee.</s>RICHMOND, Va. -- Local reaction to President Trump's executive order temporarily banning travel from seven predominately Muslim nations continues to pour in, especially after the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente was appointed the acting U.S. Attorney General.

Before Trump's executive order, the news was always on the TV inside Coliseum Persian Kabob on West Broad Street. Owner Abbas Jahangiri immigrated from Iran in 1971, and has been an American citizen since 2003.

Over the past 14 years, Jahangiri has worked 12 hours every day running his restaurant to help support his family and get his daughters through college.

"They are in charge, they think it's better for the country, that's why they make the decision. For me, I just make the decision how to cook my food," Jahangiri said with a chuckle when asked about the new administration's travel ban, which does apply to Iran.

Still, Jahangiri said when he heard of the executive order and what it does, he thought of how difficult it is already for Iranian citizens to get travel visas.

"You go through the interview, and they say okay we'll let you know in a month; for some people three, four, five months," he said. Jahangiri said his family members who live in Iran do not want to travel to the U.S., and his sister, who is a green card holder, is not traveling outside of the country as a precaution.

Trump's controversial order brought a Richmond twist Monday when Boente was named acting U.S. Attorney General. President Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night for “refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States,” the White House said. Yates had said she would defend Trump's temporary travel ban.

Boente was appointed at U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2015 by the Obama Administration. Shortly after President Trump appointed him U.S. Attorney General, Boente said he would enforce the executive order.

"He's well seasoned, he's reasonable, he's very fair," said Toby Vick, a partner at McGuire Woods law firm who said he has known Boente for many years. "I'm not surprised at all that Mr. Boente decided that the rule of law would prevail, and that the rule of law would be how he'll operate the Justice Department."

Boente will serve in his role until the U.S. Senate confirm's President Trump's pick for Attorney General, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

Still, other Richmond residents see Trump's actions as unconstitutional. Local immigration attorney Soulmaz Taghavi traveled to Dulles International Airport to lend her services to travelers from the seven nations impacted by the president's order.

Since Taghavi is from Iran and still has family living there, she said she could not sit on the sidelines.

"I just don't see how this logically makes sense, and in fact, it's offensive. It is offensive," Taghavi said when asked about the temporary travel ban.

The Trump administration maintains the order protects Americans from terrorism and that it is constitutional. Several states, including Virginia, have filed lawsuits challenging the order in federal court.</s>British business leaders have spoken out against US president Donald Trump’s ban on immigration from seven Muslim majority countries.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) both agreed the ban would be bad for business while Sir Martin Sorrell, the head of advertising group WPP, expressed concerns about the effect on his workers and their families and said he had an “instinctive dislike” of such measures.

Sorrell, who has offices in New York as well as London, the far east, India and Australia, said he was not aware of any immediate effect of the ban on his staff, but added: “We are concerned about the impact it may have on our people and their families both inside and outside the USA and on innocent people generally.”

The IoD also spoke out strongly against the measures introduced by Trump in an executive order that temporarily bans citizens from countries including Syria, Iran, Iraq and Somalia from entering the US, even if they hold valid visas or permanent residence permits.

A spokesman said: “The sudden, severe and indiscriminate restrictions imposed on passport holders from seven Muslim countries could seriously undermine business and trade.

“Both in the US and the UK, a number of industries including tech rely heavily on highly skilled brainpower from across the world. If businesses are restricted from accessing workers then many companies may have to rethink where they place their key staff in future, and that would ultimately have consequences for the prosperity of that country.

“From a British perspective this will be worrying. The prime minister has only just begun to prepare for a future trade agreement with the United States. Trade deals are built on stable rules because businesses need certainty if they are to plan for future investments and job creation.”

Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said many of its members had import and export businesses that relied heavily on employees being able to travel freely.

“Any kind of changes to immigration rules which mean business people cannot get around to see clients or suppliers is concerning,” Marshall said. “I want to ensure that UK-based business people and trading partners around the world don’t face untoward obstacles.”

The comments from British bosses come after US-based entrepreneurs hit out at Trump’s order, with some calling it immoral and un-American.

Leaders of businesses including Apple, Google, Tesla, Microsoft, Airbnb, Uber and Facebook, all of which rely on IT talent from around the world, spoke out.

Apple Inc chief executive Tim Cook sent a letter to employees saying Trump’s order was “not a policy we support”, according to Reuters. “We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our co-workers and our company,” Cook said.

Alphabet Inc, the owner of Google, which has about 100 members of staff affected by the order, urgently called back employees from overseas and told those who might be affected by the ban not to leave the US. Co-founder Sergey Brin was among those protesting against the order at San Francisco airport over the weekend.

“We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US,” Google said in a statement.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, said on Twitter that the ban was “not the best way to address the country’s challenges.”

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: “Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right and we must stand with those who are affected.”

Travis Kalanick, the boss of Uber, who has faced criticism from some employees for participating in President Trump’s business advisory council, said he would raise the issue of the ban at the group’s first meeting on Friday.
The Iraqi Parliament votes in favour of a reciprocal travel ban on U.S. citizens if U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens of Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries is not reversed. The Iraqi travel ban will not be implemented while tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and contractors are involved in the fight against ISIL.