The atmosphere of chaos and criticism that followed President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting on entry into the U.S. of people from seven Muslim-dominated countries continued on Sunday, as a series of planned protests sought to build on what became a national phenomenon overnight.
Protesters at airports across the country reacted with jubilation last night at the news that in response to a legal challenge issued by the ACLU a federal court in Brooklyn had granted an emergency stay on the president’s executive order that bans immigration from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya.
Following the court’s decision, the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release that it “will continue to enforce all of the president’s Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people.”
The statement noted that Trump’s executive orders remain “in place,” despite the emergency stay.
“The president’s Executive Orders remain in place — prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety,” the release said.
The ACLU contended that the stay applied nationally to all cases, but that was not necessarily clear from the ruling, and an atmosphere of confusion still surrounds the orders, and how they will be applied going forward.
Today, the spontaneous protests that were sparked by news of travelers being detained were expected to continue in a more planned fashion at airports across the country.
Protests are scheduled today in New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago and other cities.
The protests started Saturday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where hundreds of people chanted “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here,” angered at the detention of a number of people arriving from the countries listed in Trump’s order, including the two Iraqi men whose cases were taken by the ACLU.
As the day went on, the protests spread to other major airports like Washington Dulles International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
The two Iraqis who were detained at JFK were both released later in the day, drawing widespread media attention.
One of the men, Hameed Jhalid Darweesh, expressed his gratitude for those who supported him while he was detained.
“America is the land of freedom,” Darweesh said. “The land of freedom, the land of the rights. This is what brought me to come here, and I’m very thankful.”
Neither Darweesh nor the other Iraqi were technically refugees according to the definition in the president’s executive order at the time of their detention, but appear to have come to the U.S. on visas, a Trump administration official tells ABC News.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official said that 375 travelers were affected by the executive order Saturday at airports across the country.
Within that group, 109 people were in transit and then denied entry to the U.S., 173 were denied entry to the U.S. before boarding their flights in a foreign port, and 81 were granted waivers because of their legal permanent resident or special immigrant visa status.
The number of people being held at U.S. airports is expected to dwindle today, but passengers at airports across the world may be kept from boarding flights to the U.S.
Trump said the executive order was part of a vetting plan to prevent “radical Islamic terrorists” from reaching American soil.
The seven-page document calls for an immediate suspension of immigration from countries with ties to terror — Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya — for a time period of 90 days. But none of the countries on the list have had anything to do with terror incidents on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks, and Saudi Arabia — where 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were from — is not included.
It also calls for the complete suspension of Syrian refugees for an indefinite period. It also calls on the secretary of state to suspend the entire U.S program for admitting refugees for 120 days while authorities review the application and adjudication process.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said today on “This Week” that the seven countries had been identified by the Obama administration as needing further scrutiny, and said other countries could be added to the list at a later date.
Source: ABC NEWS
