Michigan Congressman: Trump's Travel Ban Is 'Inconsistent With American Principles'

FLINT (WWJ/AP) -- President Donald Trump introduced a revised version of his travel ban on Monday, targeting six Muslim-majority countries.

The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but still affects would-be visitors from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. It is also narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from the six countries does not apply to those who already have valid visas or people with U.S. green cards.

Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee said a heavy reliance to thwart the order will again be on the courts, which blocked the first version of the travel ban last month.

"We are a nation of immigrants," Kildee said. "We are a welcoming society, we believe in religious freedom and diversity. To actually craft policy that is based on a religious test is inconsistent with American principles."

Trump's order keeps the entire U.S. refugee program suspended for 120 days, though refugees already formally scheduled for travel by the State Department will be allowed entry.

"If national security -- the security of the American people -- is really the issue, we would not take steps like this that inflame our opponents and give them the excuse that they're looking for to paint America as a nation that does not embrace religious freedom," Kildee said.

Kildee, a Democrat from Flint Township, said that he and his colleagues will continue to fight against Trump's attempts to bar certain groups of immigrants from entering the country.

"We're going to have to rely on the courts," Kildee said. "That doesn't mean we're going to give up on continuing to press our case legislatively, we just think it's a tougher, more uphill battle on that path. But, we will do everything we can."

Trump's original order was shot down by a federal court in early February.

Justice Department lawyers appealed to the 9th Circuit, arguing that the president has the constitutional power to restrict entry to the United States and that the courts cannot second-guess his determination that such a step was needed to prevent terrorism.

The states said Trump's travel ban harmed individuals, businesses and universities. Citing Trump's campaign promise to stop Muslims from entering the U.S., they said the ban unconstitutionally blocked entry to people based on religion.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)