Watch the emotional reactions of travelers detained under Trump's immigration ban being released from US airports
Airports across America are detaining travelers following President Donald Trump's executive order barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
The order temporarily bans refugees and visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen from entering the country, while Syrians are banned indefinitely.
The detention of citizens of those countries at US airports has ignited massive protests across the nation, and sharp criticism from lawmakers at home and abroad.
Federal judges in several states ruled on Saturday and Sunday that people being detained should be released.
Images and videos of released detainees are going viral on social networks.
Here's the moment some travelers were released at Washington's Dulles International Airport:
The moment some of those detained emerged from detention here in Dulles pic.twitter.com/7p22grGkGS
— Yeganeh Torbati (@yjtorbati) January 29, 2017
Many also shared images of a 5-year-old boy at Dulles being reunited with his mother, who is Iranian, after several hours of questioning:
VIDEO: Mother from Iran, 5-year-old son reunited after he was detained for several hours at Dulles Airport: https://t.co/NwpHxJBG7Cpic.twitter.com/LPxGCxNWdr
— ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) January 29, 2017
Daily Beast politics reporter Betsy Woodruff tweeted an image of an elderly couple who were released from detention:
This video shows Vahideh Rasekh, a Ph.D student at New York's Stony Brook University, speaking to a crowd after being held at JFK Airport for 20 hours:
After close to 20 hours detention in JFK, Iranian Ph.D student Vahideh is free and speaks to media. #MuslimBanpic.twitter.com/f0DBWOiFUp
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) January 29, 2017
Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings tweeted a photo of him greeting detainees who were held at the Dallas Fort Worth airport and apologized to them:
Moments ago, @JudgeClayJ and I greeted travelers who were detained at @DFWAirport since yesterday. We are very sorry. pic.twitter.com/BHFkpFwNzI
— Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) January 29, 2017
See Also:
'Diversity is our strength': Justin Trudeau says refugees are welcome in Canada
'It's not a Muslim ban': Trump defends controversial executive order on refugees as protests erupt
Legal challenges are already being presented to Donald Trump's ban on Muslim asylum-seekers
SEE ALSO: Protests against Trump's immigration order have ignited across the country