Thousands Protest Refugee Ban at Atlanta Airport

ATLANTA, GA -- Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Monday morning was in the process of returning to normal a day after thousands of people braved cold temperatures to demonstrate outside the baggage claim area in response to the Trump Administration's controversial new immigration policy.

The protest, officially named "A Stand for Refugees and Immigrants," was organized on Facebook and called for demonstrators to make their voices heard in opposition to the controversial refugee ban passed less than 48 hours before.

The protest was scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m., but crowds lingered until after about 7 p.m.

"I got there at 5 O'clock and people were still there when we left," a female demonstrator, who did not want to be identified, told Patch Sunday evening.

As many as 2,000 people showed up at the demonstration, which was orderly and had no arrests, according to media reports.

"We are in contact with the Airport Communications Director who is working with APD and Homeland Security," the organizers said on the demonstration's Facebook page. "We are working with them to make sure that this is a nonviolent and safe protest."

Posts on social media showed crowds walking through unrestricted areas of the airport, chanting numerous refrains such as "Shut down that wall" and "No hate, no fear. Refugees are welcome here."

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that temporarily bars citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days. The order also halted the entry of all refugees for 120 days.

The new mandate, enforced with stunning haste, abruptly halted the return of immigrants who were out of the country this past weekend and ensnared many foreign-born residents in a legal quagmire. In Atlanta, 11 immigrants were detained at the airport. Mayor Kasim Reed, along with immigration officials, worked to free them.

The refugee ban figures to dramatically affect many residents of Clarkston, in DeKalb County. The small city has become known for its thriving immigrant population and has been called the "Ellis Island of the South."

In a little more than one week, the Trump administration has used executive orders to ram through several controversial policies.

Image via Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons