\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.


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"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."