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US airports target of protests against President Trump’s controversial immigration ban
 
Breaking News: Federal judge issues emergency stay against ban
CNN has just reported that a federal judge granted an emergency stay Saturday night for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries who have already arrived in the US and those who are in transit, and who hold valid visas, ruling they can legally enter the US. The decision halts part of President Donald Trump’s executive order, which barred citizens from those countries from entering the US for the next 90 days.
 
Chaos – and protests – were the order of the day, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order banning immigrants from entering the country, which he signed on Friday afternoon. The executive order suspends entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, and blocks citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations —  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — from entry into the United States for 90 days. The order also bars Syrian refugees indefinitely. Even green card holders are affected, said the Department of Homeland Security in a briefing.
As of 9 p.m. EST on Saturday evening, hundreds, if not thousands, of people had flooded airports in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Denver, protesting against the immigration ban. Growing crowds are massing particularly at JFK Terminal 4, where dozens of Iraqis have been detained.
As of this hour, two of the detainees had been released, with assistance from attorneys from the International Refugee Assistance Project. The American Civil Liberties Union is reportedly bringing a class action suit against the ban.
Although the executive order specifically cites the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., none of the terrorists were from any of these seven countries included in the ban.
Not all government officials support the President’s order. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, issue the following statement today:
“I never thought I’d see the day when refugees, who have fled war-torn countries in search of a better life, would be turned away at our doorstep. We are a nation of bridges, not walls, and a great many of us still believe in the words ‘give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…’
I have directed the Port Authority, the Department of State, and my Counsel’s Office to jointly explore all legal options to assist anyone detained at New York airports, and ensure that their rights are protected.
America is a nation of laws and those laws provide rights that must be respected and followed regardless of political ideology.”
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, also a Democrat, also issued a series of statements against the ban.
“We cannot tolerate this type of activity,” McAuliffe said at Dulles International Airport, which is located in Virginia.
“My team … are assessing the legal and policy steps we can take to oppose this policy” he said in a tweet around 5 this afternoon.
In the State of Washington, Governor Jay Inslee, another Democrat, along with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and Port of Seattle Commission and local elected officials, also spoke out against the Trump administration’s executive order. Local media report that on Saturday, Sea-Tac International Airport managing director Lance Lyttle confirmed that people have been detained at the airport, or sent back to their originating location.
Back at JFK, there are reportedly no taxi cabs in line at Terminal 4 for an time this afternoon, as the New York Taxi Workers Alliance called for a work stoppage to stand in solidarity with thousands protesting the “inhumane & unconstitutional” Muslim ban.