(CNN) A memo signed by 900 State Department diplomats that opposes President Donald Trump's temporary ban on refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the US has been delivered to top officials, State Department officials familiar with the memo told CNN Tuesday.

The "memo of dissent" warns that not only will the new immigration policy not keep America safe, but it will harm efforts to prevent terrorist attacks. The ban "will not achieve its stated aim of to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States," the memo notes.

CNN first reported that a draft memo of dissent was being circulated for signatures on Monday.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, when asked about the memo at a press briefing Monday, told the federal employees who backed it to "either get with the program or they can go."

"The President has a very clear vision," Spicer said. "He's been clear on it since the campaign. He's been clear on it since taking office, that he's going to put this safety of this country first. He is going to implement things that are in the best interest of the safety of this country ... And if somebody has a problem with that agenda then that does call into question whether or not they should continue in that post or not."

Read More</s>WASHINGTON — President Trump fired his acting attorney general on Monday night, removing her as the nation’s top law enforcement officer after she defiantly refused to defend his executive order closing the nation’s borders to refugees and people from predominantly Muslim countries.

In an escalating crisis for his 10-day-old administration, the president declared in a statement that Sally Q. Yates, who had served as deputy attorney general under President Barack Obama, had betrayed the administration by announcing that Justice Department lawyers would not defend Mr. Trump’s order against legal challenges.

The president replaced Ms. Yates with Dana J. Boente, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, saying that he would serve as attorney general until Congress acts to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. In his first act in his new role, Mr. Boente announced that he was rescinding Ms. Yates’s order.

Monday’s events have transformed the confirmation of Mr. Sessions into a referendum on Mr. Trump’s immigration order. Action in the Senate could come as early as Tuesday.</s>The White House clashed Monday with a large group of American diplomats who are voicing dissent with Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim majority countries.

White House: Travel ban is about "getting ahead of threats" (Reuters/Inform)

White House press secretary Sean Spicer points to a reporter to take a question during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. Spicer discussed the weekend's immigration turmoil and other topics. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

WASHINGTON — The White House clashed Monday with a large group of American diplomats who are voicing dissent with Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim majority countries, challenging them to resign if they aren’t on board.

“They should either get with the program or they can go,” Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretary, said.

In startling language, Spicer dismissed the criticism from what he called “career bureaucrats.” While he later said Trump appreciates the work of public servants, Spicer said they should respect the desires of the American people and the importance Trump places on protecting the country.

“If somebody has a problem with that agenda, that does call into question whether they should continue in that post or not,” Spicer said.

“This is about the safety of America.”

The comments came after diplomats circulated a memo arguing that the executive order Trump signed last week will not make the U.S. safe, runs counter to American values and will fuel anti-American sentiment around the world.

“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 diplomats wrote in a so-called “dissent cable” being drafted for State Department leadership.

“This ban stands in opposition to the core American and constitutional values that we, as federal employees, took an oath to uphold,” a draft of the cable said.

U.S. officials said at least several hundred diplomats indicated they would sign the memo and that it was expected to be formally submitted later Monday. The final number of signatories will not be available until it is submitted, the officials said. The officials disclosed internal discussions on condition they not be quoted by name, in part because they feared retaliation.

Dissent channel cables are a mechanism for U.S. diplomats to register disagreement internally about U.S. policies. It was established during the Vietnam War and was most recently used by diplomats to criticize the Obama administration’s approach to Syria.

Spicer defended the executive order and said its impact had been “blown way out of proportion and exaggerated.”

The State Department’s official response was less confrontational.

“The Dissent Channel is a longstanding official vehicle for State Department employees to convey alternative views and perspectives on policy issues,” department spokesman Mark Toner said. “This is an important process that the acting secretary, and the department as a whole, value and respect. It allows State employees to express divergent policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership.”

HOLOCAUST BACKLASH

A Republican senator is criticizing the Trump administration for failing to mention Jews in a statement remembering the Holocaust.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said over Twitter that “The Administration’s omission of the Jewish people in a Holocaust remembrance statement is an historical mistake.”

Trump administration officials have defended their statement, saying that it appropriately recognized the horrors of the Holocaust, which killed millions of people in addition to Jews.

Spicer accused critics of nitpicking and noted that the statement was written with the help of a person who is both Jewish and the descendant of Holocaust Survivors. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is both.

Nonetheless critics have said that omitting specific reference to Jews or anti-Semitism can be a form of Holocaust denial. The Nazis specifically set out to exterminate all the Jews of Europe.

CIA DIRECTOR ADDED TO NSC

Spicer says the director of the CIA will be added to the White House National Security Council.

Spicer says the president has decided to amend his recent memo restructuring the council to add CIA Director Mike Pompeo to the top circle of national security advisers. The restructuring also added White House senior adviser Steve Bannon to the council’s principals committee, which includes the secretaries of state and defense.

Trump’s move also directed the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to attend only when “issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.”

But Spicer says those individuals will be welcome to attend the meetings. He disputed that the reorganization was a significant change from past administrations.

NETANYAHU VISIT

Trump will welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States next month.

Spicer said that Netanyahu will visit on Feb. 15. He said Trump looks forward to “discussing continued strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation.”

Trump has signaled strong support for Israel. Netanyahu on Sunday said that the American embassy in Israel should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, endorsing one of Trump’s campaign promises.</s>White House spokesman Sean Spicer is set to give a press briefing Monday amid backlash over President Donald Trump's order restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries.

The order, which sparked confusion at airports and protests around the country, indefinitely bars Syrian refugees from entering the country. It also suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days and blocks all citizens of the seven largely Muslim countries from entering for 90 days.



Many Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have criticized the White House for the planning and application of the order, as some lawful visa holders were detained coming into the United States. Others have argued it will prove counterproductive in the fight against terrorism, saying it will send a message that the U.S. does not accept Muslims.

The White House has defended the order as necessary to properly vet people coming into the country and prevent terrorist attacks.

Many Silicon Valley companies and corporate leaders have also denounced the order since it was signed late Friday.</s>WASHINGTON – White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer will give a briefing today and take questions from the press outlining the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration.

This is the first press conference since Trump signed an executive order on Friday night banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for the next 90 days and suspending the admission of all refugees for 120 days.

The immigration ban caused confusion and uncertainty and sparked nationwide protests.</s>WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is holding the first press briefing since President Donald Trump’s executive orders restricting immigration, travel, and refugees from certain countries sparked protests in Chicago and across the country.

The press conference is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. CT.</s>USA TODAY - White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer will hold the first press briefing since President Trump's executive order on refugees and immigrants sparked protests around the country.

Spicer is expected to address the controversial ban, among various other issues.

The briefing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET Monday.

9NEWS will provide live coverage, which you can watch in the player above.</s>White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds Tuesday press briefing for reporters and responds to their questions on a variety of topics including acting Attorney General Sally Yates fired after refusing to enforce president Trump’s visa restrictions for 7 mid-east countries. [Presser begins at 13:15 of video below – prompted]</s>White House press secretary Sean Spicer points to a reporter to take a question during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. Spicer discussed the weekend's immigration turmoil and other topics.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Houston Chronicle.</s>In the wake of Donald Trump's travel ban, The White House's Press Secretary Sean Spicer addresses the media.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, during the daily press briefing, says State Department officials should follow the President's program or get new jobs .