Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a press conference on Tuesday that President Trump's "extreme vetting" immigration order was "not a ban on Muslims.""This is notI repeatnot a ban on Muslims," Kelly told reporters. "Religious liberty is one of our most fundamental and treasured values."Kelly also insisted that the executive order was "not a travel ban," but "a temporary pause that allows us to better review the existing refugee and visa vetting system."The US immigration system is "the most generous in the world," Kelly said, but a new analysis of foreign nationals attempting to enter the US "is long overdue and strongly supported by the department's career intelligence officials."Kelly added thatthe seven countries named in the executive order Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen"are those designated by Congress and the Obama administration as requiring additional security when making decisions about who comes into our homeland."He noted that customs officialsmay soon be required to examine the phone contacts and social media posts of some foreigners trying to enterthe US, but that decision is still being discussed.Trump and his aidesinsisted over the weekend that the order is "not a Muslim ban," and that it is designed to deter potential attacks on US soil. But expertshave noted that the ban does notinclude countries that have posed serious terror threats in the past such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.The order cites the September 11, 2001 terror attacks three times as justification for the ban, but the 9/11 hijackers were from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanonnone of which were included on thelist of banned countries.Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Monday that only "109 people" were detained or inconvenienced by the order on Saturday, but Kellydisputed that figure on Tuesday when pressed about reports that the number had been much higher.The acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP),Kevin McAleenan,said during the press conference that the "109" figurereferredto the ban's "initial hours," and that "721 travelers from the affected countries" who had visas to enter the US were denied boarding at their countries of origin.'People on my staff were generally involved'Reports emerged over the weekend thatDepartment of Homeland Security staff were allowed to see the order only after Trump signed it, and National Security Council lawyers wereprevented from evaluating it. The State Department and the DOD were also excluded from the process, NBC reported.Kelly said on Tuesday that he knew the executive order "was coming," butwould not comment on whether he saw the full document before Trump signed it on Friday afternoon."People on my staff were generally involved" in drafting the order, Kelly said, noting that he thought the order was "fairly clear.""I did know it was under development, and had the opportunity to look at two drafts as it got closer to Friday," Kelly said. "I didn't get involved in correcting grammar or reformatting the thing."McAleenan, of CBP, said that872 refugees will be allowed to enter the US this week "because of hardship concerns," and that the agency has been "responding immediately to any court orders as we did on Saturday night."Lawyers representing two Iraqi refugees who were detained at John F. Kennedy airport in New York filed legal challenges to the order, and a federal judge in Brooklyn issued an emergency ruling Saturday evening to stay the continued deportation of travelers.The ruling, a temporary emergency stay, allowedthose who landed in the US and hold a valid visa to remain. Federal judges in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Washington also made emergency rulings on various aspects of the executive order.White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus announced on Sunday that green card-holders "won't be affected" by the order, walking back a decision the White House reportedly made on Friday night to deny entry to citizens ofthe seven designatedcountries even if they were legal, permanent US residents.The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, ordered the Justice Department not to defend the immigration order on Sunday, but she was promptly fired and replaced by the White House.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: The story of Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the daughter Steve Jobs claimed wasn't his
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