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About 375 travelers were thrown into a world of chaos and uncertainty on Saturday when they were denied entry into the United States despite having the right documents, due to President Donald Trump’s recent ban on Muslims.
Travelers, including, in some cases, crew members, were either detained in transit and denied entry into the U.S. or stopped by the airlines before they even boarded, the Department of Homeland Security had announced, Reuters reported.
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Families, businesses, students and even airports employers were all confused by the abrupt change in rules and the arbitrary detentions. Two Iraqis traveling on special immigrant visas and at least 10 other people traveling on non-immigrant visas were held throughout the day, CNN reported. According to sources speaking to CNN, green-card holders and even lawful permanent U.S. residents were affected, something the Department of Homeland Security denied.
Some waited several hours for relatives to arrive only to be detained or, in other cases, to never arrive at all.
Employers, particularly those in the technology sector, were also affected by the immigration-ban, seeing their labor-force dwindle with it.
"This ban will impact many innocent people," Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber Technologies Inc UBER.UL, said, according to Reuters.
Unsurprisingly, people – including civil rights groups and lawyers, faith groups, activists and even some Democrats – have not taken the news passively and promised to revolt.
On Saturday, many airports already experienced the beginning waves of that resistance, with thousands of local demonstrators protesting in them throughout the country.
"I don't think anyone is going to take this lying down," Cleveland immigration lawyer David Leopold told Reuters. "This is the tip of the spear and more litigation is coming."
With pressure mounting outside the airports and, in particular, outside the Brooklyn courtroom, that same day a federal judge also granted a temporary reprieve from the order. It exempts those already in the U.S and those in transit with valid visas from deportation, something the American Civil Liberties Union had requested.
Citing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that refugees with their applications approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and all papers in order cannot be removed by the government.
Even Democratic governors are looking for legal avenues to take against the president.
Condemnation of Trump’s short-sighted and racist order has even come from its foreign allies, including Germany, France and Luxembourg.
Even the United Nation’s refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration are begging the inexperienced and rash new president to reconsider his stance.
"The needs of refugees and migrants worldwide have never been greater and the U.S. resettlement program is one of the most important in the world," according to a statement released by both the Geneva-based agencies. "We strongly believe that refugees should receive equal treatment for protection and assistance, and opportunities for resettlement, regardless of their religion, nationality or race.”
Responding directly to Trump’s demands for “extreme vetting,” a UNHCR spokeswoman said refugees and immigrants entering the country are already “some of the most vetted” thanks to a myriad of federal agencies constantly conducting background checks.
Travelers from the banned countries, which include Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, also expressed their dismay, disappointment and anger with Trump. Iran reportedly vowed to retaliate, with its foreign minister promising to limit visas issued to Americans after calling Trump’s order an “insult” and a “gift to extremists.”
"Iran, to defend the dignity of the great Iranian nation, will implement the principle of reciprocity until the removal of the insulting restriction against Iranian nationals," a statement announced through the official Islamic Republic News Agency on Saturday, WFTV 9 reported."It will apply corresponding legal, consular and political actions."
Trump’s executive order, signed on Friday, potentially affects more than 130 million Muslims from around the world.
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