Hundreds of US diplomats sign document protesting Trump

Hundreds of US diplomats abroad have signed a document to formally protest Trump's travel ban, saying it will harm the country.

President Trump's decree has faced fierce opposition. Photo: CNP

The document was drafted late last week, as President Trump prepared to sign the travel ban. It quickly attracted the signatures of more than 100 US diplomats abroad, according to the BBC.

Diplomats agree that Mr Trump's order will not make America safer but will send the wrong message to the Muslim world, alienating countries that have supported the US in the fight against terrorism.

The text also stressed that most terrorist attacks in the United States are carried out by citizens born or raised in the United States, and compared the new measures to the ban on Japanese Americans during World War II.

The State Department said the diplomats’ actions were not unusual, but the number of people signing a document of this magnitude was unprecedented. Under State Department rules, officials are prohibited from seeking to retaliate against those who sign a protest letter in accordance with due process.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sean Spicer continued to defend the president's decree.

"In the last 24 hours, 325,000 people have flown into US airports and we're only talking about 109 people from seven countries that were identified by the Obama administration," Spicer said. He said diplomats should comply with the order or leave their posts.

Spicer’s warning presented a stark choice for the protesters. They could sign the completed document and send it to Rex W. Tillerson, the new secretary of state, on the day he takes office. Another option would be to remain anonymous and release the document to make clear the diplomats’ views.

According to VNE