In New York, Washington and Boston, a second wave of demonstrations began the afternoon after spontaneous rallies broke out at US airports on Saturday as US Customs and Border Protection agents began enforcing Trump’s directive. The protests on Sunday were expected to spread westward as the day progressed.
The president’s order, which bars admission of Syrian refugees and suspends travel to the United States from Iraq, Iran, Sudan and four other countries on national security grounds, has led to the detention or deportation of hundreds of people arriving at US airports.
In Washington, thousands rallied at Lafayette Square across from the White House, chanting: "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here."
It was the second straight weekend that Washington was the scene of protests. Last Saturday, hundreds of thousands of women participated in an anti-Trump rally and march, one of dozens staged across the country.
On Sunday, many of the protesters left the White House area and marched along Pennsylvania Avenue, stopping at the Trump International Hotel where they shouted: "Shame, shame, shame."
A crowd estimated by police at 8,000 eventually arrived at the steps of the US Capitol, where a line of uniformed officers stood guard.
As the crowd passed the Canadian Embassy en route to the Capitol, protesters chanted: "Hey hey, ho ho, I wish our leader was Trudeau." It was a reference to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Twitter message on Saturday reaffirming his country’s welcoming policy toward refugees.
Trump defended the executive order in a statement on Sunday, saying the United States would resume issuing visas to all countries once secure policies were put in place over the next 90 days.
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