Fuad Sharif Suleman holds the passport of his family members in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, on Jan. 30, 2017 after returning to Iraq from Egypt, where him and his family were prevented from boarding a plane to the US following US President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to temporarily bar travellers from seven countries, including Iraq. 聽AFP
WASHINGTON, United States 鈥� A group of US diplomats declared their opposition to President Donald Trump鈥檚 travel ban Tuesday, despite the White House warning that they should get behind his agenda or resign.
A large group of diplomats from posts around the world submitted a 鈥渄issent memo鈥� through an official State Department channel, a spokeswoman confirmed.
When it was reported on Monday that such a memo was being prepared, Trump鈥檚 spokesman Sean Spicer issued an extraordinary warning that the officials 鈥渟hould either get with the program or they can go.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 White House argues that the ban is necessary to slow arrivals from countries plagued by violent extremism while his administration draws up tough new rules to weed out potential terrorists.
鈥淚f somebody has a problem with that agenda, that does call into question whether they should continue in that post or not,鈥� Spicer told reporters. 鈥淭his is about the safety of America.鈥�
According to leaked drafts of the memo, the US envoys argue that Trump鈥檚 decision to suspend refugee arrivals and ban visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries is a betrayal of American values.
鈥淲e are better than this ban,鈥� they declare, scorning Trump鈥檚 plan to introduce 鈥渆xtreme vetting鈥� for visa applicants as a 鈥渉igh, vague and nebulous bar鈥� for travelers from the seven countries to meet.
鈥淎 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,鈥� the memo reads.
Trump鈥檚 order bans the arrival of citizens from聽Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 90 days. All refugees are barred for 120 days, while Syrian refugees are blocked indefinitely.
The order triggered mass protests at US airports, as arriving refugees and travelers from the targeted countries were turned away, and stoked outrage around the globe.
The State Department鈥檚 internal 鈥渄issent channel鈥� was created during the Vietnam War. The last time it was used was in June 2016, when about 50 diplomats urged president Barack Obama to reconsider his opposition to US military strikes against Syria.
But its use just 10 days after a new president was inaugurated 鈥� and even before Trump鈥檚 nominee for secretary of state has been confirmed 鈥� is unprecedented.聽CBB