Protests have been spreading to airports across the nation, and the crowds of demonstrators showing up to fight President Donald Trump's legislation restricting the entrance of refugees into the U.S. are swelling.
What started out as a small rally to denounce the detainment of two Iraqi citizens outside of John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on Saturday morning, January 28, blew up into a national action when demonstrators on the scene converged to hit up their contacts and initiate a hashtag campaign. The #JFKTerminal4 tweets joined the #MuslimBan hashtag that went viral as soon as Trump officially legislated the blocking of any citizen migrating over from seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days; suspended the entry of all refugees for 120 days, and indefinitely banned refugees from crisis-torn Syria. Friday's legislation also stands to effect the travel of U.S. visa holders.
The policy was reported to have immediately kicked in on Friday, with a number of foreigners of various legal status being held up for hours on end, and in some cases, sent back over seas. According to White House aides, there had been talks with officials managing airports around the country, of the kinds of procedures that would need to be implemented, for weeks prior to the President's signature.
By mid-afternoon protesters had also begun converging at San Francisco International airport, and a call had gone out for Trump's opposition to mobilize at Dulles International Airport in Virginia starting at 5 p.m. "We're here to tell Trump that we are not going anywhere," lawyer, refugee advocate, and protest organizer Jacki Esposito, told a small yet boisterous early crowd. "Today is the beginning of a long opposition from us, and our neighbors all over the country." A live stream of the action showed people carrying "No ban, No wall" and "Impeach Trump" signs, and chanting resistance mantras in front of the international arrivals area of JFK's Terminal 4.
Source: dailykos.com
