Protesters descended on airports across the country on Saturday, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
“It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over,” Trump told media in Washington D.C., as demonstrators swarmed John F. Kennedy airport in New York City.
The protests kicked off Saturday afternoon after two Iraqi refugees who had been granted asylum and were carrying valid visas were detained by border agents.
Both men were eventually released, and a federal judge in Brooklyn issued an emergency ruling preventing the deportation of all travelers that had arrived in the US with valid visas and been detained.
Here’s what the scenes at several major airports looked like on Saturday:
Demonstrations started at the Terminal 4 arrivals door at John F. Kennedy airport, and quickly spread from there.
Foto: People gather during an anti-Donald Trump immigration ban protest outside Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, U.S. January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Lawmakers and city officials even showed up. New York City Councilman Carlos Menchaca told those gathered, "They came for the Jews, they came for the Christians and they're coming for our Muslim brothers and sisters."
Foto: source Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Some protesters called for Trump's executive order to be lifted...
Foto: Protesters assemble at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 after two Iraqi refugees were detained while trying to enter the country. source Associated Press/Craig Ruttle
...and some made even bolder demands.
Foto: A protester walks through Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, U.S., January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Meanwhile, inside the airports, lawyers began collecting paperwork and attempting to secure travelers' releases.
Foto: Lawyers work on paperwork to help family members of passengers effected by the travel ban outside of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Patrick Fallon
Families of detained travelers said they feared their loved ones would be turned away from the US.
Foto: Hossein Khoshbakhty wipes tears from his eyes while speaking during an interview about his Iranian brother, a U.S. Green Card holder affected by the travel ban at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Patrick Fallon
The protests continued through the afternoon and into the evening.
Foto: Protesters assemble at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, after earlier in the day two Iraqi refugees were detained while trying to enter the country. source Associated Press/Craig Ruttle
And not just in New York — in Los Angeles, too...
Foto: Hundreds of people opposed to President Donald Trump's executive orders barring entry to the U.S. of seven predominantly Muslim countries demonstrate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. source Associated Press/Reed Saxon
...and San Francisco.
Foto: A protester holds a sign at San Francisco International Airport during a demonstration to denounce President Donald Trump's executive order that bars citizens of seven predominantly Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, in San Francisco. source Associated Press/Marcio Jose Sanchez
...and Chicago.
Foto: People gather to protest against the travel ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order at O'Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Kamil Krzaczynski
...and Dallas.
Foto: A woman in an American flag hijab chants with other protesters against the travel ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order, at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas, U.S. January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Laura Buckman
...and Boston, where Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined the demonstrators.
Foto: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) stands on a railing to address demonstrators protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Brian Snyder
Protesters then took to the Brooklyn courthouse, where the American Civil Liberties Union had filed a habeas corpus petition over the two Iraqi refugees detained at JFK airport.
Foto: Demonstrators gather outside the U.S. Courthouse where a federal judge issued an emergency stay that temporarily blocks the U.S. government from sending people out of the country after they have landed at a U.S. airport with valid visas, in Brooklyn, New York, January 28, 2017. source Reuters/Daniel Trotta
Late on Saturday, the judge issued an emergency stay, temporarily blocking the deportations of travelers who have landed at US airports with valid visas.
Foto: source Reuters/Rashid Umar Abbasi