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Jacksonville Jaguars owner calls immigration ban 'step in wrong direction'

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan told Action Sports Jax that he believes President Donald Trump's immigration ban was a step in the wrong direction.

Khan sat down with Brent Martineau on Saturday in an exclusive TV interview in Houston.

He talked about his trip to Trump's inauguration in January and his opposition to his immigration policy.

He said immigration is a bedrock of America and what the country was built on.

"I think it's a step in the wrong direction," Khan said. "We have a system obviously, the executive branch, judicial and the legislative Congress, I think they have to find the level and the balance."

Khan, a businessman of Pakistani descent and the only Muslim NFL team owner, said he's concerned about the hundreds of thousands of people who want to share in the American Dream, which is something that resonates with him.

"I've lived the American Dream, OK, so there are hundreds of thousands -- millions -- of people around the world who would love to share in that; who have the passion," he said. "And really a bedrock of America is immigration. It's absolutely what built this country, so you don't want to be doing anything that takes a step backward."

Khan said picking on any one religion is not a good thing.

"Religion, difference between church and state, again America is a hallmark of that. Picking on any religion -- it can't help. It's not a good thing," he said.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan was born in Pakistan — and became one of the richest men in the United States. “I’ve lived the American Dream. A bedrock of America is immigration — it’s absolutely what built this country, so you don't want to be doing anything that takes a step backward.” More from our one-on-one with Khan: http://bit.ly/2jMGsCd Action Sports Jax will have the full interview on FOX30 Sunday after the Super Bowl.

Posted by Action News Jax on Saturday, February 4, 2017

Khan's full statement:

"I think it's a step in the wrong direction and it is a time to really piling on and being outraged is not the best thing. We have a system obviously -- executive branch, judicial and the legislative Congress -- I think they have to find the level and the balance. But hey, I've lived the American Dream. OK, so there are hundreds of thousands -- millions -- of people around the world who would love to share in that; who have the passion. And really a bedrock of America is immigration. It's absolutely what built this country, so you don't want to be doing anything that takes a step backward. Religion, difference between church and state, again America is a hallmark of that. Picking on any religion, it can't help. It's not a good thing."