Thousands of protesters gathered at airports across the country Jan. 28 to denounce President Donald Trump’s executive order that barred citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen—from entering the United States for 90 days.
The order also temporarily suspended entry to all refugees for 120 days.
However, Trump encountered a roadblock in the federal court system. On Jan. 28, a New York federal judge issued a stay that allowed people stranded in airports to temporarily avoid deportation. Several people who were detained were later freed.
Demonstrations took place at airports in several large cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas and San Francisco. More than a dozen people were being held in Chicago—and the scene even included attorneys who set up impromptu “offices” to help individuals. Chicago Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa was among those protesting Trump’s order at O’Hare International Airport.
Many pro-LGBT individuals and groups have condemned Trump’s order. Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven said in a statement, “Donald Trump’s latest executive orders are simply un-American. We are not a country that discriminates against people based on religion or nationality. We are not a country that builds walls between ourselves and the rest of the world. As a Jew whose grandparents watched in frustration while President Roosevelt refused to admit refugees from Nazi Germany, I am embarrassed for my country today.”