"We are going to help them," the president said. "They've been horribly treated. Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States?"
The executive order's text does not mention Christianity either. It instructs officials involved in refugee entry "to prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of national."
The executive order also said the entry of more than 50,000 refugees in 2017 is detrimental to U.S. interest and should be suspended until further notice. Last year, the U.S. legal cap on refugees was 117,000 people, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian reports.
However, only about 85,000 refugees actually entered the U.S. that year, the Pew Research Center reports. Of these, 38,901 were Muslim and 37,521 were Christian. Some critics have voiced concern that the lower cap on refugees would mean fewer persecuted Christians could secure legal entry even if given priority treatment.
The president raised the possibility of a ban on Muslim immigration during his presidential campaign, but has objected to depictions of his new policy as a "Muslim ban."
The executive order swiftly drew several legal challenges and prompted several mass protests at airports around the country, but it is unclear how unpopular it will prove with Americans as a whole.
Catholic relief leaders also criticized the order.
"People seeking refuge in the United States and elsewhere are victims – often of the same terrorists from whom we must protect ourselves," Sean Callahan, Catholic Relief Services president and CEO, said Jan. 27.
"We know the people most affected by extremists and conflict. They are people like all Americans, seeking safety and a better life for their families. In fact, in our work around the world, we depend on many of them for our own safety. They need our help - now!"
"People fleeing violence all suffer the same irrespective of their religion. Refugee admissions should not depend on religion. As Catholics we feel the responsibility to help all those in need," added Bill O'Keefe, Catholic Relief Services' vice-president of government relations and advocacy.
"The most vulnerable people fleeing violence will suffer the most because of these restrictions," he said. "The Iraqi women I met have already suffered from 'extreme vetting' just getting out of Islamic State controlled areas in the middle of the night with their children."
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"Taking fewer refugees betrays the trust of refugee hosting allies as well as vulnerable refugees," he added. O'Keefe said that security assessments by new presidential administrations are expected but should be "conducted in good faith and rapidly."
Bishop Vasquez said over 65 million people have been displaced from their homes worldwide. He said the Catholic Church will respond to this "extraordinary level of suffering."