Demonstrators protest Trump's travel ban as government suspends enforcement
WASHINGTON -- Demonstrators once again took to the streets around the country Saturday to protest President Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Washington demonstrators walked from the White House chanting “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.”
Rosalie Kendall, of Virginia, held a sign that read “We can do this every weekend,” referring to the demonstrations. She said people need to stand up and say what they will and won’t tolerate.
The U.S. government on Saturday suspended enforcement of the ban a day after a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked it.
Marchers also carried signs in Salt Lake City from the federal building to the state capitol building.
At Los Angeles International Airport, about 150 people gathered in front of the international terminal to protest the ban and other Trump policies. A handful of women in Muslim headscarves chanted: “This is what America looks like.”
In Philadelphia, hundreds of protesters, many accompanied by children and wearing heavy jackets, scarves and caps to protect against the bitter cold, gathered in the afternoon across the street from Philadelphia’s City Hall.
They held signs, many saying “No Ban No Wall,” and cheered as speakers excoriated the president’s executive order a week ago to suspend America’s refugee program and halt immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries that the U.S. says raise terrorism concerns.
The demonstrators later began marching through city streets as police closed off traffic to allow the march.
In Florida, protesters gathered in Miami holding signs and standing in opposition against Mr. Trump’s actions on immigration, CBS station WFOR-TV reports.
Later, a planned march outside Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach was still on for Saturday evening after two groups took over its organization.
Alex Newell Taylor of Women’s March Florida said Thursday that her group and South Florida Activism have taken over the march from Stephen Milo. He had issued a statement earlier Thursday saying Saturday’s March to Mar-a-Lago was being canceled because of safety concerns.
Newell Taylor says the groups have more experience than Milo in organizing demonstrations and believe they have the expertise to keep it peaceful. She said there will be trained marshals and legal assistants to keep the march orderly.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to be at Mar-a-Lago this weekend for the first time as president and is likely to attend a major American Red Cross fundraiser Saturday night.
More than 2,000 people have registered on Facebook to attend the protest.
West Palm Beach police have said they are working with organizers and are not anticipating any problems.
