On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order restricting refugee and immigrant entry to the US. As customs agencies at airports across the country scrambled to interpret and enforce the order, thousands of protesters came out in support of immigrants and refugees.
As many as 2,000 people descended on San Francisco International Airport over the weekend, demanding the release of travelers who were detained due to the executive order. A spokesperson said 5 travelers to SFO were directly impacted by the order, though it’s possible others were temporarily held for regular screening.
Sunday evening, protesters got word that the last of the detained had been released.
KISWANI: The disruption, the show of collective force and will the ongoing organizing and conversations with public officials and having them put pressure on the larger public officials is what made today a victory.
Homeland Security agents at airports across the country interpreted and enforced the order inconsistently. Here’s what the order does: It temporarily bans refugees from any country, indefinitely bans refugees from Syria and temporarily bans citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. On Sunday, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer clarified that green card-holders from those countries would be allowed to return to the U.S.
