UPDATE 2 - Trump defends immigration ban: 'Study the world!'

ADDS OBAMA STATEMENT, WHITE HOUSE COMMENT

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.'s refugee program, further heightening concerns that the target of the ban is Muslims.

Trump's immigration order 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 continue 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 critics say is an effort that directly targets Muslims.

Former President Barack Obama is "heartened" by the demonstrations and "fundamentally disagrees" with Trump's order, his spokesman said.

"Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake," Kevin Lewis said in a statement.

-Objections to Trump

An alleged draft State Department memo dissenting from Trump's order has reportedly been making the rounds though the department for days. In it, America's foreign service officers purportedly warned Trump that not only would his order fail to improve security, it would stymy counterterrorism efforts.

"Given the near-absence of terror attacks committed in recent years by Syrian, Iraqi, Iranian, Libyan, Somalia, Sudanese, and Yemeni citizens who are in the US after entering on a visa, this ban will have little practical effect in improving public safety," said the purported memo, whose authenticity Anadolu Agency has not independently verified.

"It will increase anti-American sentiment," it adds.

Responding to the memo, White House spokesman Sean Spicer dismissed the diplomats' concerns, saying they "should either get with the program or they can go".

Moreover, high-ranking lawmakers from Trump's own party have also challenged the order's effectiveness.

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."

Given the internal Republican opposition, legislation Sen. Chuck Schumer plans to introduce to repeal the order could prove to be Trump's first major defeat since assuming office just over a week ago if Republican actions meet their rhetoric.

The senior Democratic senator from New York said he will ask for a vote on the floor of the Senate Monday evening. So far, 11 Republican senators have voiced opposition to the American president's order, he said, raising the stakes for Trump in the narrowly held Republican chamber.

"This is a blanket ban. It hurts innocent people and doesn't stop terrorism," he said.

Authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the bill would rescind Trump's order.

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.