Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Tuesday
defended President Trump’s executive order instituting a ban on foreign
nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. The ban, which caused
chaos across the U.S. at airports over the weekend, has been criticized
on both sides of the aisle. In a press conference, Kelly said his
department knew the executive order was coming and that Homeland
Security staffers were involved in drafting it. Reports had suggested
that the department was blindsided by the order. “This whole approach
was part of what then-candidate Trump talked about for a year or two,”
Kelly added. “So we knew it was coming. It wasn’t a surprise it was
coming. And then we implemented it.” He also responded to claims from
Democrats that the executive order amounts to a ban on Muslims. “This is
not—I repeat, not—a ban on Muslims,” Kelly said, adding that religious
liberty is a “fundamental treasured value.” Republicans on Capitol Hill
have criticized the executive branch for how the directive was
implemented, noting that legal permanent residents and valid visa
holders were detained and others were blocked from boarding flights to
the U.S. |
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