At least seven people, all of whom either hold green cards or U.S. visas, were being detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night as a result of a controversial executive order signed by President Trump, and two people may have been deported.
As activists scrambled to fight for their release on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators descended on LAX and San Francisco International Airport to rail against Trump’s travel ban, which many argue unfairly targets Muslims.
“We’re a nation of immigrants, not of haters,” Jan Popiden, a 65-year-old Westchester resident, said as she held a sign that read “Stop Trump’s Carnage” at LAX.
The president’s executive order, which suspends all refugee entries for 120 days and bars entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from seven Muslim-majority countries created a scene that was both frantic and somber at LAX.
As throngs of protesters marched through the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, attorneys scrambled to provide aid.
Jennie Pasquarella, director of immigrant rights for the ACLU in California, said the advocacy group had filed habeas petitions on behalf of the seven people being detained. Four of those are Iranian, and all hold green cards or U.S. visas, she said.
A woman of Iranian descent who was among the seven was deported by federal officials late Saturday, Pasquarella said. The woman, who has lived in Austria for most of her life, was forced to withdraw her student visa and was deported to Copenhagen, according to Pasquarella. Earlier Saturday, an immigration attorney said a 70-year-old Iranian man was put on a plane out of the country after landing at LAX.
Relatives of those being detained stood nervously throughout the terminal, desperate for any shred of information about the fate of their loved ones. Bayar Yousif had been trading text messages with his brother, Bessar, who had been detained since he landed at 4:30 pm.
“He doesn’t know if they will release him or if they will deport him,” Yousif said.
The brothers immigrated to the U.S. with their parents in 2014 — five years after seeking refugee status — and settled in Fallbrook. All four of them have green cards, but Bessar had traveled to Kurdistan last week, where he got engaged.
Just after 8 pm, Bayar’s phone rang. It was his brother, though he didn’t have an update on his status.
“What can we do?” Bayar said. “We can’t do anything.”
Around 10 p.m., 28-year-old Neda Daemi was released after a detention that lasted ten hours. The student, who holds a green card and had traveled to Iran five months ago, said she was held with approximately 40 other people, but praised federal authorities for treating them well.
Still, she was shocked to find immigration officials waiting for her when she landed at LAX.
“When I got here and they told me you can’t go in I was like ‘Are you kidding me?’” she said.
Asked what she would say to President Trump, Daemi said she would implore him to “Just think of your own children. would you do the same to your children? Muslims are good people.”
It remained unclear exactly how many people had been detained. In addition to the seven detainees the ACLU said it was representing, the legal director of an Los Angeles-based immigrants rights group also told The Times as many as 50 Iranians had been detained on one flight. Representatives of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency did not respond to requests for comment or provide a full tally of those being detained at California airports on Saturday.
Pasquarella said Trump’s rush to enact the executive order has exposed countless people to potentially illegal detentions.
“I would say it has been done without regard to the legality of it. Green-card holders are not only being detained, but they’re being turned around and deported to the country that they came form. It is unlawful,” she said. “Certainly the discriminatory nature of the executive order we think is unlawful.”
An Iranian woman whose citizenship swearing-in ceremony will take place in two weeks was among those detained at LAX on Saturday, according to Jordan Cummings, an immigration attorney. The woman has held a green card for five years, Cummings said.
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Supporters of President Trump rally in favor of his immigration ban executive order Saturday at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Protesters rallying against the first travel ban signed by President Trump march around Los Angeles International Airport in February. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Trump supporters gather at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Muhaned El Hindi protests the immigration ban Saturday during a rally at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Mathew Woods, a supporter of President Trump, voices support for an immigration ban during a rally at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Passengers stand in the doorway of a baggage claim area to take pictures and video of marchers protesting the immigration ban of President Trump at LAX on Saturday.
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Supporters of President Trump’s travel ban stand across the street from the #NoBanNoWall protesters at LAX on Saturday.
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Cooper Chvotkin, 6, gets a turn to voice his opinion on the megaphone with other protesters at LAX on Saturday.
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Protesters march through the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX on Saturday to protest President Trump’s travel ban.
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Abeer Abdelrahman, left, hugs her sister Areej Ali at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Monday after Ali, who has a green card, was able to come through the arrivals area with the help of an attorney after being detained and questioned. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Noor Hindi, left, and Sham Najjar, right, join the protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday.
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Attorney’s crowd a small table at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Monday to assist travelers who require help due to President Trump’s travel restrictions.
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Immigration Attorney Monica Glicken, left, listens to Mohamed, right, as she tries to find travelers to help at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Monday to assist travelers who require help due to President Trump’s travel restrictions.
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Hundreds of people protested President Trump’s original travel ban at LAX in January. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters block traffic at LAX, stranding motorists at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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Demonstrators take a pizza break while blocking traffic on the upper level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal while police monitor the rally.
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A pro-Trump supporter argues with protesters about the president’s travel ban at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Hundreds sit in on the arrival level of LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, blocking traffic to protest President Trump’s immigration order.
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Airport police plead with protesters to get off the pavement in order to let stranded motorists exit.
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Protesters block traffic, stranding motorists at the Tom Bradley International Terminal of LAX.
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Muslims pray as hundreds stand in support on the departure level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal during a protest against President Trump’s immigration order. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Police position themselves as a man takes photos on the on the departure level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal during protests to President Donald Trump’s new immigration order.
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Hundreds block traffic on the arrival level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest President Trump’s immigration order.
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People gather at the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest against President Trump’s immigration order.
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A police officer watches protesters at the lower deck of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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People gather at the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest President Trump’s immigration order.
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Assmaa Kalm, left, and Rosanna Sounbl, right, protest President Trump’s travel ban at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 29, 2017. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds block traffic on the arrival level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest President Trump’s immigration order.
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Police keep an eye on people who continue to protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Hundreds take part in an impromptu sit-in at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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People hang a banner in support of immigrants on a parking structure across the street from the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Meg Heatherly, 27, of Los Angeles holds a “Shame” sign during a protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Jan. 29, 2017. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Attorney Lisa Smith joins people at LAX who continue to protest President Trump’s travel ban.
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A lone supporter of President Trump and Vice President Pence is protected by police while a large group of people continue to protest President Donald Trump’s travel ban at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Chella, from Sherman Oaks, holds the U.S. flag with words from the tablet on the Statue of Liberty.
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Hundreds of people gather at Los Angeles International Airport to continue protesting President Trump’s travel ban.
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Donald Trump supporters hold signs across the road from protesters at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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A traveler tries to get by protesters at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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Brothers Adam, left, and Noah Reich show their support of immigrants as they join opponents of Donald Trump’s new immigration order at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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A traveler tries to get by protesters at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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A protester holds up sign at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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Hassan Al Garaawi, of San Diego, right, looks for his mother-in-law Gish Alsaeedi who has been detained at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Sunday.
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Passengers arrive at LAX as protests continue Sunday over President Trump’s travel ban.
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Izzy Berdan, of Boston wears an American flag as he chants slogans with other demonstrators Sunday during a rally against President Trump’s order that restricts travel to the U.S. by people from seven majority-Muslim nations.
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People gather in Boston’s Copley Square to protest the travel ban enacted by President Trump.
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Demonstrators gather Sunday near the White House to protest President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
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People continue to protest President Trump’s travel ban on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport.
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Attorney Dana Clausen waits on Sunday to help at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX as people continue to protest President Trump’s executive order that led to travelers from several majority-Muslim countries being detained upon arrival.
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Kamryn Taghizadeh, 18, holds up a sign Saturday night as she waits for grandfather Reza Taghizadeh, 78, a minimalist painter who was detained as he arrived at Tom Bradley International Terminal from Iran. The artist and green-card holder was later released.
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Reza Taghizadeh, 78, an artist from Iran who holds a U.S. green card, is released after being detained at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
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Seattle police use pepper spray and push the last group of protesters out of a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport terminal after giving a final dispersal order at about 2 a.m Sunday.
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Saffiya Hrahsheh, center, is helped away from police by Liz Bates, left, and others after being pepper sprayed by officers breaking up protests early Sunday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
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Siavosh Naji-Talakar greets his grandmother, Marzieh Moosavizadeh, 75, at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal. She was detained upon arriving from Iran.
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People arrive and LAPD officers stand by at Tom Bradley International Airport at LAX as the protest continues peacefully.
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Protesters gather at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX to oppose President Trump’s refugee ban.
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Saudia Airlines flight attendants wait to pass through a securioty checkpoint at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Saturday.
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Protesters rally against Trump’s refugee crackdown at at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Saturday.
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Protesters gather at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX to speak out against President Trump’s refugee policy Saturday.
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Protesters march through Tom Bradley International Terminal to voice opposition to President Trump’s refugee policy.
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Protesters rally against the new immigration order at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
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Protesters hold signs during a protest against Trump’s immigration executive order at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
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Protesters assemble at John F. Kennedy International Airport after two Iraqis were detained while trying to enter the country.
(Craig Ruttle / Associated Press) A federal judge in New York granted an emergency stay of Trump’s order late Saturday night, halting the deportations of any refugees or others who hold valid visas to enter the U.S. It was unclear how that would affect those being held at LAX, or if they would remain in detention while their cases were being considered.
Hundreds of people rallied at Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest the detentions, their chants echoing through the building as they waved candles and held signs denouncing Trump’s decision.
“No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here,” they chanted.
Beverly Weise, 66, said she felt a moral obligation to protest on Saturday after she spent two weeks volunteering at Souda refugee camp in Greece, where 3,000 people from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia were housed.
“They’re running away from war, persecution — they can’t understand why we are so hostile,” she said. “All they want is a peaceful life.”
Off-duty airport employee Molly O’Leary, 56, said she sees hundreds of immigrants pass through LAX every day.
“I understand being careful,” she said, holding a candle. “I don’t understand outright banning people, innocent people.”
The protesters at LAX erupted in cheers when news broke of the federal court decision staying Trump’s order.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Mohi Khairandish, a 52-year-old who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran in 1976 and still has relatives there, said of the stay. “I’m hoping that the ban is proven unconstitutional in general, if necessary, at the Supreme Court because I think it’s a very un-American ban.”
While the New York court decision may have marked a victory for opponents of the ban, the emergency stay came too late for some. Kristen Jackson, an attorney with Public Counsel, said attorneys tried to intervene after a 70-year-old Iranian man was held by federal authorities at LAX. His son is an American resident and the father was moving to the U.S., she said.
Jackson and other attorneys filed court papers to try to stop the man’s removal, but he was put on an airplane back to Iran, she said.
“It’s been shocking and totally saddening to see this happening,” she said. “But also heartening to see how quickly people are banding together.”
At least 100 people also turned up at San Francisco International Airport to protest the ban on Saturday, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ten to 15 immigration attorneys had gathered at the airport on Saturday to help detained travelers, many of whom flew in from Iran, Cummings said. Immigration officials were not allowing the detainees to contact their families or seek legal representation, creating a chaotic situation at the terminal, as advocates try to figure out who might need their aid.
“We’re literally walking around asking people, are you waiting for someone who has been detained?” she said, describing a scene of worried family members who had arrived bearing flowers and welcome signs for their loved ones.
Attorneys also created a makeshift office at Bradley Terminal to try to aid travelers who were being held by federal officials. The group set up outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office.
Ashley Rickards, star of the MTV comedy “Awkward,” was one of several dozen people holding lighted candles and signs in support of those being detained inside LAX on Saturday.
“It’s not American,” Rickards said. “I’m not affected personally by what he’s doing, but that’s what makes me feel so much more strongly about fighting for everyone else.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti released a statement Saturday in support of peaceful protest at the airport, skewering Trump’s executive order while also urging demonstrators to remain calm.
“Congress outlawed the banning of immigrants by nationality more than 50 years ago, because we have long known that it does not make us safer,” Garcetti said in a statement. “It only fans the flames of hatred that those who wish us harm seek to spread.”
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Matt Pearce contributed to this report.
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UPDATES:
10:20 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from a woman who was detained at LAX for ten hours.
9:30 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from the brother of one of the detainees.
8:05 p.m.: This story was updated with additional comments from an ACLU immigration attorney.
6:45 p.m.: This story was updated with additional comments from protesters and attorneys at LAX and news about a federal court decision regarding Trump’s ban.
This story first published at 6:25 p.m.
