Dozens of opponents and supporters of President Trump’s sweeping travel ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries faced off at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, one day after a federal judge temporarily suspended the ban.
Opponents of the ban began rallying in front of Tom Bradley International Terminal about 11 a.m. They were joined about an hour later by a group of ban supporters who stationed themselves across the roadway.
On one side of the road was a bearded man wrapped in an American flag holding a sign that said, “We love our Muslim neighbors.” On the other side, another man in a beard, also wrapped in an American flag, waved his sign high: “Jihad is unAmerican.”
It was one of several similar demonstrations held Saturday around the country. For the seventh consecutive day protesters opposing the immigration ban assembled outside the international terminal at LAX and waved signs like “We will not normalize hate” and “No ban. No wall. The whole world is watching.”
There were about 100 anti-ban demonstrators and their chants were led by a group of young women in hijabs who all attend prayers at the the Islamic Center of Hawthorne. One of the women used a megaphone to urge the group to be respectful of the Trump supporters.
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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) “Let’s keep this peaceful,” she said. “The are exercising their 1st Amendment rights just as we are exercising our 1st Amendment rights.”
The pro-Trump group was stationed across four lanes of traffic from the anti-ban protesters. The two groups were separated by a metal barricade and about two dozen police officers with helmets hanging from their belts.
The pro-ban assemblage was smaller — about two dozen strong, but their signs were bigger. They read, “Make America Safe Again” and “No Jobs No Country” and “Help Americans First.”
They chanted, “Trump, Trump, all the way!”
Across the road the anti-ban protesters shouted, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
Jennifer Morita Kerr, a retired teacher from Hacienda Heights, was wearing a sign that said “Japanese Americans against the ban. Immigrants welcome.”
“I’m here because this happened to my family,” she said. “My father, my grandparents and my great grandparents were all put in internment camps. They lost everything.”
“We can’t just sit back and let it happen again,” she said.
Across the roadway, Trump supporter Loretta Sanchez, 50, of Hesperia said she showed up to support “our president, our country, God and family.”
“Our president is looking out for us,” she said. “He’s being a man of his word.”
Just then a car drove past and the driver honked and yelled, “We don’t want Trump!”
“Too late,” Sanchez said.
No arrests have been made, police said. The crowd was minuscule compared to last Sunday, when thousands of protesters gathered at LAX, rallying outside terminals, marching on roadways and blocking traffic in response to Trump’s order.
On Friday night, the Department of Homeland Security suspended enforcement of the travel ban after a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order against major parts of Trump’s executive order, which is effective nationwide. The order was in response to lawsuits filed by the states of Washington and Minnesota.
The State Department, which “provisionally revoked” 60,000 visas since the president signed his executive order on Jan. 27, said Saturday it had started re-accepting those visas from people in the countries affected. Trump’s White House has said it will ask for an emergency stay of the judge’s order, arguing the president’s actions were lawful.
Firass Halawi, 26 said he felt compelled to attend Saturday’s anti-ban protest.
“I’m in law school and I’m Muslim,” he said. “I had no choice.”
He applauded the 10 women who stood in the center of the protesters, leading the chanting.
“This movement needs to be led by young Muslim people,” he said. “I love that it’s women in hijab running this.”
Halawi grew up in Glendale and is in law school at UCLA.
Earlier in the day he wandered over to talk to the Trump supporters and asked if he could take their picture with his Polaroid. They declined until he told them his brother was a Marine.
“Then the guy was like, ‘I’m a Marine too’ and he got everyone to get in the picture,” he said.
deborah.netburn@latimes.com
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UPDATES:
3:10 p.m.: This article has been updated with more comments from demonstrators.
2:40 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional comments from rally participants.
1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details of the rallies and remarks from a protest leader.
Noon: This article was updated with the start of the rallies and photos.
This article was originally posted at 11:50 a.m.
