Trump immigration ban ‘not justified’, says Merkel

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday condemned the restrictions on immigration imposed by US President Donald Trump, seeing them as unjustified, her spokesman said.

“The chancellor regrets the entry ban imposed by the US government against refugees and nationals from certain countries,” 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.”

The German government “will now examine the consequences” of the ban for German citizens with dual nationality affected by the decision, he added.

Trump has caused consternation at home and abroad after signing a sweeping executive order on Friday suspending refugee arrivals and barring visas for travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for the next three months.

A federal judge on Saturday blocked part of the ban, ordering authorities to stop deporting refugees and also other travellers who were stuck at the US airports.

Merkel’s condemnation comes a day after she spoke by phone with the new US president, when they discussed a range of issues from relations with Russia to the situation in the Middle East and NATO.

Statements released by both sides after the call made no mention of the immigration ban, but Seibert on Sunday said Merkel had reminded the US billionaire of his human rights responsibilities.

“The Geneva Refugee Convention calls on the international community to take in war refugees on humanitarian grounds,” he said. “The chancellor stressed this policy in on Saturday’s phone call with the US president.”

In an interview with European media earlier this month, Trump said Merkel had made a “catastrophic mistake” in allowing the record of the number of migrants into Germany.