Dissident US diplomats protest Trump travel ban

\Columbia: A number of US diplomats have protested against President Donald Trump's order to suspend refugee arrivals and ban visas for citizens of seven Muslim countries, officials said Monday.

"We are aware of a dissent channel message regarding the executive order," acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, adding that the protest memo has yet to be delivered.

The "dissent channel" is a formal State Department process whereby diplomats who are concerned about official policy can register their disquiet with senior policy-makers.

Toner did not release the memo nor say how many have signed it, but said it refers to the order: "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States."

Trump signed the order Friday, triggering mass protests at US airports, as arriving refugees and travellers from seven mainly-Muslim countries were turned away.

According to the respected national security blog "Lawfare," which published a draft copy of the text, "hundreds of foreign service officers are planning to be party to the dissent memo."