A second day of protests got underway at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after a day of chaos, fear, protests and ultimately some relief over President Trump’s travel bans.
At least seven — and perhaps many more — people were caught in the new policy at LAX. They were detained for hours as an army of attorneys tried to free them. Attorneys created a makeshift office at Tom Bradley International Terminal to try to aid travelers who were being held by federal officials, setting up outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office.
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Relatives of those being detained stood nervously throughout the terminal, desperate for any shred of information about the fate of their loved ones. On Saturday evening, Bayar Yousif had been trading text messages with his brother, Bessar, who had been detained since he landed at 4:30 p.m.
“He doesn’t know if they will release him or if they will deport him,” Yousif said.
Reza Taghizadeh, 78, an artist from Iran who holds a green card, was detained and released at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The brothers immigrated to the U.S. from Iraqi Kurdistan with their parents in 2014 — five years after seeking refugee status — and settled in Fallbrook. All four of them have green cards, but Bessar had traveled to Kurdistan last week, where he got engaged.
Just after 8 pm, Bayar’s phone rang. It was his brother, though he didn’t have an update on his status.
“What can we do?” Bayar said. “We can’t do anything.”
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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.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Muhaned El Hindi protests the immigration ban Saturday during a rally at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Supporters of President Trump’s travel ban stand across the street from the #NoBanNoWall protesters at LAX on Saturday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Cooper Chvotkin, 6, gets a turn to voice his opinion on the megaphone with other protesters at LAX on Saturday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march through the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX on Saturday to protest President Trump’s travel ban.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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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.
(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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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.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Airport police plead with protesters to get off the pavement in order to let stranded motorists exit.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters block traffic, stranding motorists at the Tom Bradley International Terminal of LAX.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Brian van der Brug / 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.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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People gather at the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest against President Trump’s immigration order.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A police officer watches protesters at the lower deck of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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People gather at the Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest President Trump’s immigration order.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Police keep an eye on people who continue to protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds take part in an impromptu sit-in at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Chella, from Sherman Oaks, holds the U.S. flag with words from the tablet on the Statue of Liberty.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds of people gather at Los Angeles International Airport to continue protesting President Trump’s travel ban.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Donald Trump supporters hold signs across the road from protesters at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A traveler tries to get by protesters at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A traveler tries to get by protesters at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A protester holds up sign at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes)
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Passengers arrive at LAX as protests continue Sunday over President Trump’s travel ban.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes)
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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.
(Steven Senne / Associated Press)
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People gather in Boston’s Copley Square to protest the travel ban enacted by President Trump.
(Darren McCollester / Getty Images)
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Demonstrators gather Sunday near the White House to protest President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
(Zach Gibson / Getty Images)
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People continue to protest President Trump’s travel ban on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes)
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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.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Genna Martin / Associated Press)
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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.
(Genna Martin / Associated Press)
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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.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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People arrive and LAPD officers stand by at Tom Bradley International Airport at LAX as the protest continues peacefully.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gather at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX to oppose President Trump’s refugee ban.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters rally against Trump’s refugee crackdown at at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Saturday.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gather at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX to speak out against President Trump’s refugee policy Saturday.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march through Tom Bradley International Terminal to voice opposition to President Trump’s refugee policy.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters rally against the new immigration order at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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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.
(Stephanie Keith / Getty Images)
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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)
At about 10 p.m., 28-year-old Neda Daemi was released after being detained for 10 hours. The student, who holds a green card and had traveled to Iran five months ago, said she was held with approximately 40 other people, but praised federal authorities for treating them well.
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Still, she was shocked to find immigration officials waiting for her when she landed at LAX.
“When I got here and they told me you can’t go in, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” she said.
Asked what she would say to President Trump, Daemi said she would implore him to “Just think of your own children. Would you do the same to your children? Muslims are good people.”
By Sunday morning, more detainees were being released after judges stayed Trump’s order.
Among them was Marzieh Moosavizadeh, 75, who was greeted by her grandson, Siavosh Naji-Talakar. She had been detained since arriving from Iran on Saturday.
It remained unclear how many people had been detained. In addition to the seven detainees the ACLU said it was representing, the legal director of an Los Angeles-based immigrants rights group also told The Times as many as 50 Iranians had been detained on one flight. Representatives of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency did not respond to requests for comment or provide a full tally of those being detained at California airports on Saturday.
An Iranian woman whose citizenship swearing-in ceremony will take place in two weeks was among those detained at LAX on Saturday, according to Jordan Cummings, an immigration attorney. The woman has held a green card for five years, Cummings said.
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Hundreds of people rallied at Tom Bradley International Terminal to protest the detentions, their chants echoing through the building as they waved candles and held signs denouncing Trump’s decision.
“No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here,” they chanted.
Beverly Weise, 66, said she felt a moral obligation to protest on Saturday after she spent two weeks volunteering at Souda refugee camp in Greece, where 3,000 people from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia were sheltered.
“They’re running away from war, persecution — they can’t understand why we are so hostile,” she said. “All they want is a peaceful life.”
The protesters at LAX erupted in cheers when news broke of a federal court decision staying portions of Trump’s order.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Mohi Khairandish, a 52-year-old who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran in 1976 and still has relatives there, said of the stay. “I’m hoping that the ban is proven unconstitutional in general, if necessary, at the Supreme Court because I think it’s a very un-American ban.”
Although the New York court decision may have marked a partial victory for opponents of the ban, the emergency stay came too late for some. Kristen Jackson, an attorney with Public Counsel, said attorneys tried to intervene after a 70-year-old Iranian man was held by federal authorities at LAX. His son is an American resident and the father was moving to the U.S., she said.
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Jackson and other attorneys filed court papers to try to stop the man’s removal, but he was put on an airplane back to Iran, she said.
Jennie Pasquarella, director of immigrant rights for the ACLU in California, said on Saturday that the advocacy group had filed habeas petitions on behalf of the seven people being detained. Four of those are Iranian, and all hold green cards or U.S. visas, she said.
Pasquarella said Trump’s rush to enact the executive order has exposed countless people to potentially illegal detentions.
“I would say it has been done without regard to the legality of it. Green-card holders are not only being detained, but they’re being turned around and deported to the country that they came from. It is unlawful,” she said. “Certainly the discriminatory nature of the executive order, we think, is unlawful.”
Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.
Dakota Smith covers City Hall for the Los Angeles Times. She is part of the team that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for reporting on a leaked audio recording that upended City Hall politics. She joined the newsroom in 2016 and previously covered City Hall for the Los Angeles Daily News. She is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College and lives in Los Angeles.
Francine Orr was a staff photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times from 2000-24. Previously, she was a staff photographer at the Kansas City Star. Orr served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. While there, she learned how to be a quiet observer and gained a love for stories. She was raised in Colorado and earned bachelor’s degrees in both history and art from the University of Saint Mary. In 2022, Orr received the coveted Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma and the National Headliner Award. She also won the 2020 Meyer “Mike” Berger and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature photography in 2012.
James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles County’s criminal courts, the district attorney’s office and juvenile justice issues for the Los Angeles Times.
Assistant editor Javier Panzar oversees California audience engagement for the Los Angeles Times’ California section. He previously worked as a digital editor on the News Desk. Before that, he was a reporter covering state and regional politics as well as breaking news in California. Panzar started at The Times as an intern and then a MetPro fellow in 2014. He was born and raised in Oakland. His reporting has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Seattle Times, the Orange County Register and UC Berkeley’s independent student newspaper, the Daily Californian.
