Hundreds of people went to Kansas City International Airport to protest President Trump's immigration ban Sunday.
A few hundred people have gathered at @KCIAirport to protest @POTUS' #MuslimBan. pic.twitter.com/tKMGJj7KCV
— Terra Hall (@TerraHall) January 29, 2017
Protesters: "No ban, no wall, #KansasCity welcomes all." #MuslimBan #protest #MuslimBanprotest @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/OfbJHG1aNs
— Terra Hall (@TerraHall) January 29, 2017
Trump released a statement Sunday afternoon saying his policy wasn't targeting a specific religion.
"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe," Trump said.
The full statement can be read at the bottom of this story.
The Kansas City demonstration comes after protestors gathered at airports around the U.S. this weekend to voice their concerns and dissatisfactions over the ban.
"We cannot discriminate people based on a race, based on gender, based on nationality, based on religion," explained Mansoor Syed, a Muslim immigrant from India. "That is not what America is for. We have to stand up for this and each and everyone of us should be part of this. It's not only against Muslims. If it happens against any community, we have to stand up for that."
That is why Jakob Starr said he organized the Kansas City International Airport protest.
"We are looking to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are protesting in other cities," said he said.
Starr said he got the idea to have a peaceful protest in Kansas City after seeing friends attend a similar protest on Saturday at John F. Kennedy airport in Queens, New York. Starr said he began reaching out to grassroots organizations which encouraged him to create his own event in Kansas City.
"For our country, a country of immigrants to say they can't come here, breaks my heart because I literally sacrificed two decades of my life for my country, for my country to turn around and say - no you can't come in," said Cynthia Clark, a Navy veteran who turned out to show her support for the protest.
Starr said he reached out to a few friends to see if they would be interested and then created the Facebook event, which attracted the attention of thousands of people.
Developing tonight: JFK airport has turned into a protest hotbed after President Trump's refugee ban https://t.co/p9QiVDCrIT pic.twitter.com/3CNp990frf
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 29, 2017
"I'm overwhelmed with emotion of love and support and almost comradery," said Starr. "I thought a handful of people would show up. I thought we could talk about how to get to the next level. Well, it looks like we are already at the next level."
On Friday, President Trump banned more than 134 million people from entering the United States. Trump barred citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for at least the next 90 days by executive order, which a senior White House official said later Friday is likely just a first step toward establishing a broader ban.
Andrew Wesselschmidt supports the president's ban. He turned out at the Kansas City protest to explain his stance to demonstrators.
"Until we can find a way to properly vet these people you can't keep an open door going on," he said.
MORE: Trump signs executive order banning people from 7 countries
But thousands of people in cities like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles disagreed, turning out to airports around the country to protest the ban.
By Saturday night, Federal Judge Ann Donnelly, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, granted an emergency stay for people who have already arrived in the United States and those who are in transit, and who hold valid visas, ruling they can legally enter the country.
Judge Donelly wrote in her decision that government could not remove "individuals with refugee applications approved by US Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of the US Refugee Admissions Program, holders of valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas, and other individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen legally authorized to enter the United States."
"The biggest factor to look at is the conversation happening right now," Starr explained. "We can look to the Women's March and see that it is a worldwide movement. While there may not be immediate results with these protests, there is momentum we hope to carry."
The White House released the following statement on Trump's immigration policies Sunday afternoon:
“America is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border. America has always been the land of the free and home of the brave. We will keep it free and keep it safe, as the media knows, but refuses to say. My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror. To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order. We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days. I have tremendous feeling for the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria. My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering.”
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
