Protesters in Downtown Los Angeles Condemn Trump's Immigration Policies

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Protesters of President Donald Trump's new executive order banning travel from six countries demonstrated Thursday in downtown Los Angeles.

Federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland have blocked the new executive order that would temporarily limit travelers from the Muslim-majority countries.

It follows an earlier executive order from Trump that was stopped by federal courts in early February.

"Say it loud, say it clear, Muslims are welcome here," chanted activists gathered on a hot day in front of the Federal Building on Los Angeles Street.

Some drivers honked their car horns in apparent agreement. One man held a two-foot-high pinata in the image of Trump, complete with signature hairline, labeled "Liar" and "Fear Monger."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the Trump administration would appeal the rulings that temporarily halted the revised travel ban, which was set to go into effect at midnight.

Unlike the previous executive order, the new one removed Iraq from the list of banned countries, exempted those with green cards and visas and removed a provision that arguably prioritizes certain religious minorities.

Keith James, a member of the Los Angeles chapter of RefuseFascism.org, which led the protest downtown, called the new executive order "Muslim Ban 2.0."

James said Trump's policies are "discriminatory on religious grounds. They're based on nationality. We refuse to live in a society that discriminates based on race or religion."

The group held aloft signs in English, Spanish, Farsi and Arabic that read, "No! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America."

Another protester, Michelle Xai, a member of the activist group Revolution Club, said the fight against the current administration was "just beginning."

"We're working every day to drive the Trump/Pence regime out," she said. "Every day there's a new outrage and we're not going to give up."

--City News Service. Patch file photo.