Trump denies immigration restriction caused airport chaos

Image
AP Washington
Last Updated : Jan 30 2017 | 8:13 PM IST
President Donald Trump today denied his immigration order was to blame for the chaos at nation airports over the weekend, instead pointing to computer glitches, protesters and even the "tears of Senator Schumer."
"There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter the country," Trump wrote in a series of early morning tweets. "This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!"
In another tweet, Trump defended his decision to take swift action on his proposed travel ban, saying there are "a lot of bad 'dudes' out there."
"If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week," Trump said.
Trump's order temporarily suspends all immigration for citizens of seven majority Muslim countries for 90 days.
But he enters his second week in office amid a global backlash to his policies. European Union officials denounced his immigration order as a dangerous embrace of isolationism and inequality, while the international aid group Doctors Without Borders accused Trump of keeping people "trapped in war zones, directly endangering their lives."
In Iraq, two lawmakers there said the Iraqi parliament has approved a "reciprocity measure" restricting the entry of Americans into Iraq.
Meanwhile, it's unclear how Trump's order would make the nation safer. The order does not address homegrown extremists already in America, a primary concern of federal law enforcement officials. And the list of countries in Trump's order doesn't include Saudi Arabia, where most of the Sept. 11 hijackers were from.
The president tweeted early Monday that only 109 out of 325,000 "were detained and held for questioning" following his executive order to bar individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The Homeland Security Department has used 325,000 as the number of international air travelers who arrive every day to the US.
"Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage, protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer," he added.
Trump was referring to a Delta systems outage Sunday night that led to departure delays and cancellations of at least 150 Delta flights. However, the chaos started Saturday as protesters packed some of the country's major airports to demonstrate against the executive order.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jan 30 2017 | 8:13 PM IST

Next Story