GOP senator: Trump travel ban doesn’t just apply to Muslims

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Thursday defended President Trump’s executive order on immigration a day after it was blocked by a federal judge, saying it does not just apply to Muslims.

During an interview on CNN’s “New Day,” Cassidy was asked if he believes Trump’s intent is to block Muslims from the U.S.

Cassidy said he’s learned not to guess what another person believes.

“I rather would say ‘OK, what is the actual effect of this?’ By the way, there’s lots of Christians and other religious groups coming out of Syria, and so I gather it applies to them as well,” he said.

{mosads}”So if you just look at the practical effect, it would, in practice, affect all. So again, I don’t try and guess what’s in another person’s mind.”

Cassidy said Trump wants to keep what has been happening in Europe from occurring in the U.S.

“Where there have been people posing as refugees who have come into Europe, committing horrific crimes,” he said.

“I suspect they will appeal and if they have to, they’ll refine, but I think the president ultimately wants to protect us from those sort of false refugees and frankly we should all wish that he could do so.”

A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday placed a nationwide block on Trump’s order, delivering a major blow to the president’s policy just hours before it was set to go into effect. The judge pointed to Trump’s stated desire from the presidential campaign to impose a “Muslim ban.”

On Thursday, a federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked parts of the president’s revised travel order.

During a rally Wednesday night in Tennessee, Trump vowed to fight the Hawaii judge’s ruling.

“We’re going to take our case as far as it needs to go, including all the way up to the Supreme Court,” Trump said.

“We’re going to win,” he continued. “The danger is clear. The law is clear. The need for my executive order is clear.”

Trump and his team have argued the ban is necessary to keep the country safe.