The Latest: Trump adviser: Judge's order doesn't affect ban
By Associated Press
Jan 29, 2017 9:14 AM CST
Dr. Mohammad Jaber Kabbesh and his wife Ghufran Khalifa, of Carmichael, Calif., attend a town hall meeting with Rep. Ami Bera at Elk Grove City Hall on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Elk Grove, Calif. Kabbesh immigrated to the United States nearly two decades ago, leaving his native Syria in search of...   (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions (all times local):

10:05 a.m.

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.

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9:45 a.m.

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."

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9:25 a.m.

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.

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9:15 a.m.

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.

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8:55 a.m.

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.

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8:45 a.m.

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.

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8:40 a.m.

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.

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8:35 a.m.

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."

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8:30 a.m.

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.

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8:15 a.m.

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.

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5:55 a.m.

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.

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5:45 a.m.

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.

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5:10 a.m.

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.

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4 a.m.

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.

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3 a.m.

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."

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