Trump freezes immigration

Setting a hard-line tone on national security, President Donald Trump on Friday suspended the nation's refugee program for four months, aiming to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States.

Trump travelled to the Pentagon, where he joined Defence Secretary Jim Mattis for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation's refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation's military.

"We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas," he said. "We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."

The order was signed on Trump's most robust day of national security and foreign policy at the start of his presidency, marked by a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May and a lengthy phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

During his election campaign against Hillary Clinton, Trump pledged to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures to screen people coming to the U.S. from countries with terrorism ties. The order imposes a 120-day suspension of the entire U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and a 90-day ban on all entry to the United States from countries with terrorism concerns.

The State Department said the three-month ban in the directive applied to Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — all Muslim majority nations.

The order also halts entry to the U.S. by Syrian refugees until the president determines that changes to the refugee assistance program ensure that admitting them won't compromise national security.

The order makes no mention of a plan to provide safe zones in Syria and the surrounding area. A draft of the order had directed the Pentagon and the State Department to produce a plan for safe zones in the war-torn Mideast nation.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said it would file a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the constitutionality of the executive order.

"There is no evidence that refugees — the most thoroughly vetted of all people entering our nation — are a threat to national security," said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena F. Masri. "This is an order that is based on bigotry, not reality."

Trump also signed a presidential memorandum on "rebuilding" the U.S. Armed Forces, giving Mattis 30 days to conduct a "readiness" review and report back on steps that can be taken this year to improve conditions.

Joined earlier in the day at the White House by May, the British prime minister, Trump reaffirmed the United States' "special relationship" with Great Britain.

Trump held firm Friday on another controversy — trade and illegal immigration from Mexico. He told reporters at a joint news conference with May that he had a "very good call" with Pena Nieto earlier in the day, but he reaffirmed his belief that Mexico has "outnegotiated and beat us to a pulp" on trade — and that would change.

"We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," he declared a day after the Mexican leader cancelled his visit to Washington in response to Trump's plans to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it.

While the refugee actions are aimed at thwarting terrorists, the border wall is more for keeping out immigrants trying to enter the U.S. for economic reasons — though Trump has continually also raised concerns about criminals flowing north.

The flurry of national security moves and foreign policy outreach capped a hectic first week for Trump at the White House, giving Americans an initial look at how he intends to position the United States around the globe.

In an interview with CBN News, Trump said persecuted Christians would be given priority in applying for refugee status. "We are going to help them," Trump said. "They've been horribly treated."

Applauded by some in his own party, Trump's refugee action was strongly criticized by some Democrats.

"Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded has been stomped upon," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.