Muslim-Ban Detainees at O’Hare Released

A dozen people being detained at O'Hare International Airport due to President Donald J. Trump's executive order blocking travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries were freed Saturday night, thanks to a federal court order partially blocking the ban.

Thousands had gathered at the airport for an "emergency protest" against Trump's ban.

The court order applies only to people currently detained at airports and those in transit. At around 10:30 p.m., attorneys representing the O'Hare detainees said they had all been released.

ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen K. Connell said while the court order would free travelers currently being detained, it will not apply to future travelers -- meaning it doesn't prevent more people from being held upon entry in the U.S. A hearing in the case is not scheduled until next month, Connell said.

"The clients that we represent are lawful permanent residents, they are citizens of a different country but they’ve resided lawfully in this country for many years," said Connell, adding she believes they were unlawfully detained.

>>>> Oak Lawn Man Detained at O'Hare Following Trump Order: Reports

The federal court ruling came in response to a challenge that had been filed on behalf of two Iraqi men detained Friday night at JFK International Airport and impacted dozens of others held across the country.

News of the partial stay drew cheers from demonstrators at O'Hare, who had been Tweeting the airport with the hashtag "#letthemoutord." Protesters pledged to remain until the last had been freed.

Earlier, airport demonstrators held signs with slogans including "Stop Trump/Pence fascist regime before it starts" and "Trump is the world's real threat." On Twitter, people began using hashtags such as "#MuslimBan" and "#NoBanNoWall," a reference to Trump's plan to erect a wall at the U.S./Mexican border.

Trump's executive order, signed Friday afternoon, banned entry of all refugees for 120 days, banned Syrian refugees indefinitely and blocked entry for residents of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded to the situation at O'Hare, issuing a statement saying that Trump's actions "have tarnished America's standing as a beacon of hope for the free world ... Following the stay that was granted this evening, I am calling on the federal government to immediately produce a list of the names of anyone currently being detained at O'Hare or Midway airports, and calling on those unjustly affected to immediately be released and allowed access to legal counsel."

'An existential battle'

Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) said the court order left him relieved.

"This is an existential battle for our country’s soul," Biss said as demonstrators continued to march at O'Hare. "We have to fight in the streets, we have to fight in the state capitols and in city halls, we have to fight to the extent we can in Congress and we sure as hell have to fight in the courts ... (The court order is) not the end of the road, but it’s a sign of what we can accomplish if we don’t just kind of give up and take this stuff lying down."

Demonstrator Iman Boundaoui said she arrived at O'Hare at around 6 p.m. to protest, but wound up volunteering to help attorneys working to free detained clients.

To her, the so-called Muslim ban "means that the president doesn’t really respect or recognize people’s inalienable rights," Boundaoui said. "People that live here, people that have had positive legal status in this country, who have a right to come back to their homes. People are shouting it loud and clear and we’re calling on our politicians to defend those rights."

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), who was also at O'Hare Saturday night, said Trump's executive order was not the way to protect Americans at home or abroad.

"We don’t do it by closing our borders to certain religions or ethnicities, we do it by having smart policies," Schneider said. "What we’re seeing now is, I would say, the exact opposite."

Schneider said it's important for citizens to reach out to their elected officials and to continue speaking out.

"I think it’s really important that good people across the country of all ethnicities, all religions, stand together," he said.

"I also know that the founders of this country, many of them fled religious persecution to come and make their homes here and pursue their dreams here – that’s our heritage," Schneider added. "And the idea of locking our borders, closing our doors to people who are seeking refuge from persecution, from wars -- many times based on religious beliefs -- that’s not who we are as a country."

As for whether Trump's order amounts to a "Muslim ban," as some are calling it, Schneider said, "He has said we should let Christians in from these countries and keep Muslims out – it’s hard to characterize it as anything else."

More than a dozen detained

As a result of Trump's executive order, more than a dozen people were initially being held at O'Hare, according to the Chicago Tribune. According to one report, none are refugees, and all have either green cards, visas or advance parole for green cards.

Chicago Tonight posted video of the scene outside the airport, with demonstrators chanting, "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here!" and "Let them in!"

Earlier in the week, Trump signed another executive order cracking down on "sanctuary cities" like Chicago, a self-designated haven for refugees.

People at the O'Hare protest were reporting thousands of demonstrators.

The ACLU was Tweeting support for protesters at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and other international airports in the U.S.

Another act of defiance against the order came from the University of Michigan, which said Saturday it would not disclose the immigration status of its students.

Connell said she hoped citizens continue to protest executive orders like the travel ban.

"I hope they do (keep coming)," she said. "It’s a travesty constitutionally and I think it’s a moral failing of this country, the likes of which we haven’t seen ... since the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II."

MORE:

• Immigrants, Refugees Stopped By Trump Order From Entering US; Legal Challenge Filed
• RELATED: 4 Groups of Undocumented Immigrants Trump's Policies Will Affect

Patch Editor Jonah Meadows contributed to this report.

Last update at 11:21 p.m. Jan. 28.

Photo: Jonah Meadows/Patch