The Trump administration on Thursday dropped its appeal of a court ruling that suspended his travel ban targeting refugees and seven Muslim nations.
The administration, however, said that it will replace the measure with a modified version.
"Rather than continuing this litigation, the President intends in the near future to rescind the Order and replace it with a new, substantially revised Executive Order to eliminate what the panel erroneously thought were constitutional concerns," the Justice Department announced in a brief filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
In a news conference at the White House, President Donald Trump said that he will announce a new executive order on immigration next week that will ‘comprehensively protect’ his country.
Hinting that it might contain new vetting measures for travellers, he said, “We're issuing a new executive action next week that will comprehensively protect our country. We'll be going along the one path and hopefully winning that, at the same time we will be issuing a new and very comprehensive order to protect our people. That will be done sometime next week, toward the beginning or middle at the latest part."
His previous executive order temporarily suspending entry of Syrian refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries has been put on hold by the court, which he said is not correct.
"But we had a bad court. Got a bad decision. We had a court that's been overturned. Again, may be wrong. But I think it's 80 per cent of the time, a lot," he said.
"We had a bad decision (by the court). We're going to keep going with that decision. We're going to put in a new executive order next week some time. But we had a bad decision," he said, alleging that such a court ruling is very bad for the safety and security of the country.
The rollout of the executive order was perfect, he claimed.
Trump said that he is going ahead with extreme vetting. "Now in the meantime, we're vetting very, very strongly. Very, very strongly. But we need help. And we need help by getting that executive order passed."
"Extreme vetting will be put in place and it already is in place in many places. In fact, we had to go quicker than we thought because of the bad decision we received from a circuit that has been overturned at a record number," he said.
"I have heard 80 per cent, I find that hard to believe, that is just a number I heard, that they are overturned 80 percent of the time. I think that circuit is in chaos and that circuit is frankly in turmoil. But we are appealing that, and we are going further," Trump said.
