US travel ban: Diplomats 'preparing dissent memo'

Dozens of US diplomats around the world are set
to formally criticise President Donald Trump's
immigration restrictions, US media report.
A "dissent cable" has been drafted for senior
state department officials.
The White House said those complaining should
"get with the programme".
In the wake of Mr Trump's ban on nationals from
seven Muslim-majority countries, ex-President
Barack Obama has spoken out against
discrimination "based on faith or religion".
In a statement his spokesman, Kevin Lewis, said
Mr Obama was also "heartened" by the level of
engagement taking place across the country.
'Get with it or go'
The draft text of the dissent cable seen by the
BBC says that the immigration restrictions will
not make the US safer, are un-American and will
send the wrong message to the Muslim world.
Who's affected by the ban?
Will the ban affect fight against IS?
US travel ban: Why these seven countries?
What is an executive order?
Trump's first week: Well, that was intense
President Trump issued the restrictions on Friday.
His executive order halted the entire US refugee
programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned
Syrian refugees and suspended all nationals from
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and
Yemen.
In other developments:
Washington state's attorney general says he
will sue President Trump over his executive
order. Bob Ferguson was one of 16 state
attorneys general who have said the order is
unconstitutional
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
will visit the US on 15 February
President Trump's Supreme Court nominee
will be announced on Tuesday
The director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, will be
added to the National Security Council. Mr
Trump's Senior Adviser Steve Bannon was
recently added to the council's principals
committee
White House press secretary Sean Spicer has
again defended the policy changes. At a press
conference he hit out at the diplomats and
foreign service officers drafting the dissent cable.
"Again, you talk about, in a 24-hour period,
325,000 people from other countries flew in
through our airports and we're talking about 109
people from seven countries that the Obama
administration identified," he told reporters.
"And these career bureaucrats have a problem
with it? I think they should either get with the
programme or they can go."
News of the complaint from US diplomats comes
amid international condemnation of the new
policies. The White House has defended the
restrictions as necessary safety measures.
The cable seen by the BBC says the "knee-jerk"
restrictions will "sour relations" with the Muslim
world and alienate countries that help in the fight
against terrorism.
It notes that most terror attacks in the US have
been committed by US-born or naturalised
citizens and compares the new measures to
restrictions on Japanese-Americans during World
War Two.
"The end result of this ban will not be a drop in
terror attacks in the United States; rather, it will
be a drop in international goodwill towards
Americans and a threat towards our economy,"
the cable, which may be an earlier draft, says.
Click to see content: us_terrorists
The White House has said the new rules do not
equate to a ban on Muslims entering the US and
that the restrictions will be lifted once new
security measures are put in place.
The cable, signed by dozens of diplomats, is
expected to be formally sent later on Monday
through what is called the "dissent channel", the
Associated Press reports, quoting anonymous US
officials.
According to ABC News, the dissent channel was
created during the Vietnam War to allow
diplomats in the field to convey concerns to
senior state department officials in Washington.
Last year more than 50 diplomats used the
channel to express concern over US policy in
Syria to the Obama administration, the New York
Times reports .
Mr Obama's statement is the first he has
released since leaving the White House.
"Citizens exercising their constitutional right to
assemble, organise and have their voices heard
by their elected officials is exactly what we
expect to see when American values are at
stake," it says.
He had earlier said that he may speak out after
leaving office if he felt Mr Trump was threatening
core American values.
By convention, former presidents tend to leave
the political fray and avoid commenting on their
successors.
Foreign leaders have been hitting out at the ban,
which has caused chaos at airports in the US and
created confusion for thousands of people
travelling to the country.
The parliament in Iraq passed a motion calling for
reciprocal action to be taken.
Trump ban sparks Middle East anger
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein
said the ban was "mean-spirited and wastes
resources needed for proper counter-terrorism".
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which
has 57 member states, said the restrictions would
only help extremists.
Although the White House says only 109 people
have been detained for extra questioning, a
Department of Homeland Security official told
ABC News there were 735 "encounters" related to
the executive order as of Sunday evening.
In the UK, more than a million people have
signed a petition to stop Donald Trump's planned
state visit later this year.
Protests have taken place in London and other
cities.
Click to see content: immigrants_us
Have you or your family been affected by the
entry restrictions? Have you been detained at an
airport following the travel ban? Get in touch by
emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing
to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also
contact us in the following ways: