Westchester Executive Rob Astorino reassures Muslims despite Trump suppport

YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- As the legal battle over President Donald Trump's now-tabled immigration order continues, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino met with Muslims in his area Friday.

It was a packed prayer service in Yonkers, where Astorino reassured the Muslim community that discrimination will not be tolerated and that his support is unwavering.

"Make no mistake about it, I would never support a religious test on who comes into this country," Astorino said.

But Astorino is a staunch Republican, and he explained his support for President Trump's executive order banning travel from seven Muslim majority nations.

"A religious test, absolutely not," he said. "A permanent ban, absolutely not. But a temporary ban to know who is coming in and who is not, and give the new administration a period of time so they know what is going on, yes."

Trump has vowed to appeal Thursday's appellate court decision that temporarily blocks his immigration order, and he said he is considering a new executive order.

"We will continue to go through the court process, and ultimately I have no doubt that we will win that particular case," he said.

Back in Yonkers, worshippers applauded Astorino's appearance, though they said there's plenty of concern.

"He's buying into Trump's narrative, which is that it's a security issue," Yonkers resident Zead Ramadan said. "The rest of the country and the judges are not buying into Trump's narrative, because they know it's a Muslim ban."

The head of the Muslim American group that invited Astorino said that these are troubling times for the community, during which there are more questions than answers.

"It is based on religion," Yonkers resident Abdel Nofir said. "And when it's based on religion, it's against our constitution and violates our rights."