“Immigration policy in the United States is a matter for the government of the United States, just the same as immigration policy for this country should be set by our government,” conceded a spokesman for the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May.
“But we do not agree with this kind of approach and it is not one we will be taking,” the spokesman added. “If there is any impact on UK nationals then clearly we will make representations to the US government about that.”
During a joint press conference at the White House on Friday, a reporter asked President Trump about his previous call to ban some Muslims from entering the Unite States. British Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the reporter, acknowledging that, despite the strong bilateral relationship between the US and UK, there will be times when they fail to see eye to eye.
“There will be times when we disagree,” she said. “The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so that we are able to make that clear when it happens.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government said that the threat of terrorism does not excuse Trump’s decision to issue a ban applicable to nationals from 7 Muslim countries.
“The chancellor regrets the entry ban imposed by the US government against refugees and nationals from certain countries,” Germany’s Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
“She is convinced that even in the necessarily resolute battle against terrorism it is not justified to place people from a certain origin or belief under general suspicion.”
Merkel, who is campaigning this year for reelection, is facing significant resistance from much of Germany’s electorate as a result of her decision to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria to be absorbed by Germany.
Trump defended his executive order in the face of criticism from Germany and the UK by implicitly referencing the uptick in terror attacks throughout Europe following the wave of Syrian refugees.
“Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world – a horrible mess!,” Trump said on his Twitter account on Sunday. “Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW.”
By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News