Trump defends immigration ban: 'Study the world!'

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Amid continued popular discontent over his decision to bar immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, U.S. President Donald Trump called on his critics Monday to "Study the world!"

"There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country," Trump wrote in one of a series of early-morning tweets. They were his latest defense of the immigration order that he has claimed does not amount to a "Muslim ban", which he promised on the campaign trail before pivoting the proposal to "extreme vetting".

Shortly after he made the immigration order official, Trump said he would prioritize Syrian Christians for the U.S.' refugee program, further heightening concerns that the target of the action is Muslims.

Trump's immigration ban bars citizens of Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen from U.S. entry for the 90-day period that began when he signed the executive order last Friday.

The order does nothing to restrict immigration from Saudi Arabia, the home country of 15 of the 19 hijackers who took part in the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor -- the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Nor does it address homegrown terrorism, which law enforcement officers have continued to view as one of the most pressing security concerns they face.

Since Trump made the order official, mass demonstrations have erupted at airports across the country where many who arrived in the U.S. after the executive action was enforced are still detained, signaling mass discontent with what many who flocked to the transit hubs say is an effort that directly targets Muslims.

And high-ranking lawmakers from Trump's own party have challenged whether his actions are actually making America safer.

In a joint statement, senior Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham said that while the government bears responsibility for protecting America's borders, it "must do so in a way that makes us safer and upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation."

"We fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism," they said. "Our most important allies in the fight against ISIL [Daesh] are the vast majority of Muslims who reject its apocalyptic ideology of hatred."

Despite the outpouring of criticism, Trump remained resolute Monday that his order is the right way to "MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!" from "A lot of bad 'dudes' out there!"

"Where was all the outrage from Democrats and the opposition party (the media) when our jobs were fleeing our country?" Trump said, using a phrase that his administration last week decided to use to refer to the press.