Der Spiegel published a very graphic cover on Trump's immigration ban

German news weekly Der Spiegel's newest cover pulled no punches in its criticism of President Donald Trump's executive order barring people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

The simple headline, "America First" appears beside Trump holding aloft a beheaded Lady Liberty, with a bloody knife in his other hand:

Trump's immigration ban has received sharp criticism from tens of thousands of protesters across the US, from top Republican and Democratic senators, and from US business titans. The administration tempered part of the ban on Sunday, indicating that green card holders would be allowed back in the country.

Federal judges in several states issued emergency rulings staying the executive order, releasing hundreds of people who were stuck at US airports in limbo. The White House - and Trump loyalists - continue to defend the action, insisting it was "not about religion" but about "protecting our own citizens and border."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the global fight against terrorism was no excuse for the measures and "does not justify putting people of a specific background or faith under general suspicion," her spokesman said on Sunday.

Der Spiegel continued to mock the president on Twitter, tweeting links to the cover story along with a popular meme of Trump holding the image up in place of an executive order:

The magazine cover was even more graphic in the online version, where an animation showed the Statue of Liberty dripping blood:

It's not the first time Der Spiegel has taken aim at the new US president. Last January, the magazine featured a cover of Trump in front of an American flag covered in flames. And after the US election, the cover was of Trump's head fashioned as a meteor hurtling toward Earth.