INDIANAPOLIS — Following suit of other demonstrations at airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, hundreds are expected to protest at the Indianapolis International Airport at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The nation-wide protests have been in response to President Trump’s executive order signed Friday that suspended both immigrants and non-immigrants from Muslim-majority nations — Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — from entering the U.S. for 90 days. No refugees are allowed to come to the United States for 120 days under the order.
Two Facebook event pages, “Indianapolis International Protest Against Fear” and “ResistTheList - Solidarity Rally”, have about 500 people each indicating they will come to the event. Though both events were formed separately, they have since merged into one protest.
Galen Denney, one of the event organizers, said he felt compelled to put on the event after feeling that only thinking and posting about the ban on social media was not enough.
“I have friends that are Syrian refugees and friends that are Muslim,” Denney said. “This issue was one I couldn’t let go. It is just antithetical to what I think it is to be an American.”
Indianapolis International Airport representatives said no one traveling from the seven countries on the ban list was detained over the weekend. Exodus Refugee Network announced Saturday that there were no expected Syrian families coming to the state this weekend. It is unknown how many travelers from the other six Muslim-majority countries were unable to come to Indianapolis. The Indianapolis International Airport does few direct flights to and from international countries.
