Travel ban: Crowds occupy US major airports to protest Trump's executive order

America's major airports became ground zero Sunday for a second consecutive day of protests against President Donald Trump's new immigration policies.

The affected airports included Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, New York's JFK, Raleigh, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta and more.

Crowds gathered in and around terminals to challenge the executive order, which temporarily bars entry to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries. It also bans all refugee admissions for the next 120 days.
Like they had a week ago at the Women's March rallies across the country, demonstrators carried thousands of colorful handmade signs, many written with markers on cardboard panels.

Throngs of people protested at major US landmarks, including the White House, Boston's Copley Square and Battery Park in Manhattan.

The park was packed with more than 10,000 people, according to an official at City Hall. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, and Kirsten Gillibrand took turns speaking.

Protesters sang and chanted: "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here." At airports, the crowds waved signs in solidarity with travelers stuck inside -- students, doctors, professors and refugees. They cheered as impacted travelers left airports and reunited with loved ones. But many more remain in limbo.

By Sunday night, everyone who had been detained in the initial halt of Friday's executive order had either been released into the United States or put on a plane out of the country, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Gillian Christensen told CNN.

She added that 392 green card holders, or lawful permanent residents, were given exemptions and entered the country.

But opponents of the travel ban say the fight is just beginning.

Even though judges from New York to Seattle granted limited relief for citizens of the seven countries who had already arrived in the US with a valid visa or green card, advocacy groups said they plan to file additional lawsuits in days to challenge the constitutionality of the order.

Crowds began gathering at Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday to protest the detention of two Iraqis who were later released. Protests later sprung up at other airports where people were blocked trying to enter the country.

Airport officials for the most part accommodated the protests, temporarily closing security checkpoints and diverting traffic to make room for demonstrators.