NEW YORK -- Protesters gathered in cities across the United States on Saturday to complain about President Donald Trump's immigration policies. More protests are scheduled for Sunday.
A large crowd was at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to protest the detention of two Iraqis.
One of the men, Hameed Khalid Darweesh, was released early Saturday afternoon. He worked with the US government for 10 years after the United States invaded Iraq.
The other detained man, Haider Sameer Abdulkaleq Alshawi, had been granted a visa to join his wife, who worked for a US contractor in Iraq, and son, both of whom already live in the United States as refugees. Alshawi was expected to be released later Saturday.
The protesters carried signs reading, "We are all immigrants!" and "No ban! No wall!"
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement on the refugee detainment, saying, "We are a nation of bridges, not walls."
"I never thought I'd see the day when refugees who have fled war-torn countries in search of a better life, would be turned away at our doorstep," Cuomo said. "We are a nation of bridges, not walls, and a great many of us still believe the words 'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...' This is not who we are and not who we should be."
Trump signed the executive order Friday afternoon banning refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and ones coming from war-torn Syria indefinitely. Citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — are refused entry to the U.S. for 90 days.
Though the ban is temporary, Trump can extend it after it expires.
A group of community activists, attorneys, and others gathered at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Protests also took place at Dulles International Airport in Washington; Newark International Airport in New Jersey; San Francisco; Denver and Dallas.
Protests are scheduled Sunday in Orlando, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington, and Chicago.
