Rudy Giuliani told Trump how to make 'Muslim ban' legal

Facing backlash over his immigration order, President Donald Trump has said that the United States will resume giving visas to all countries once secure policies are put in place over the next 90 days, Reuters reported.

"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order," Trump said.

"We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days," he said.

On Friday, Trump had signed an executive order barring immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. 

Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani spoke to Fox news, explaining that Trump approached him, asking how to make a "Muslim ban" legal:

The move generated large-scale protests across several airports in the United States where those affected by the ban were left stranded. 

Attorney generals from 16 US states also issued a joint statement condemning the US President Donald Trump's executive order.

"We are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created," the statement said.

Then governor of Indiana and current US Vice President Mike Pence made a statement in late December 2015, which critics say is at odds with Trump's decision to ban immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

In another development, US judges in at least four states have blocked federal authorities from enforcing Presdient Donald Trump's executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, Reuters reported.

Following the order on Saturday night by US district judge Ann Donnelly in New York's Brooklyn borough temporarily blocking deportations nationwide, judges in Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington state have issued similar orders restraining federal authorities from implementing Trump's executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, Reuters reported. 

However, lawyers representing people affected by the order said that some authorities have refused to comply with the judges' rulings.

Trump's order halted immigration from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and stopped the resettlement of refugees for 120 days.

Trump's immigration order also faced criticism from Republican senator John McCain, the chairman of Senate Armed Forces Committee, who termed the order "confusing".

"It's been a very confusing process," McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation". 

McCain said that the order "will probably, in some areas, give ISIS (Islamic State) some more propaganda", and asked why the countries targeted by the order included Iraq, where US forces are fighting alongside Iraqi forces against Islamic State, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the Arab League, whose members also include some of the countries which have been put on the immigration ban list, expressed deep concern over the restrictions imposed by Trump's order. 

The mounting criticism of his immigration order, however, had little sway on the President as he stood defiant. In a tweet, Trump said that "Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting".

(WION with inputs from Reuters)