Scenes From Last Night's Massive Protest At O'Hare That Give Us Hope

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 29, 2017 3:21PM

Last night, hundreds of Chicago-area protesters virtually shut down O'Hare Airport's Terminal 5 in a massive, last-minute protest of the so-called federal Muslim Ban that resulted in about 18 people detained at O'Hare, and more at other airports around the country.

An emergency stay on President Donald Trump's executive order to keep people from seven predominantly Muslim countries out of the U.S. (including those with visas and green cards) allowed lawyers to get the detainees at O'Hare freed last night, but it's still unclear how many travelers around the world were affected by the ban this weekend, and whether authorities will attempt to detain more people at O'Hare and elsewhere Sunday.

Attorneys are already lining up at the airport early Sunday morning to stand by to offer legal counsel to families affected by the ban:

Some protesters reportedly left their signs behind at O'Hare last night to serve as a greeting and show of solidarity with travelers today:

Several local lawmakers slammed the ban in statements Saturday night, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin. No one was arrested in last night's protests, according to the Sun-Times, even as protesters blocked traffic into the airport terminal.