On January 27, 2017 Donald Trump signed an executive order barring people from seven majority Muslim countries from entering the United States. The decision sent the nation into a state of confusion, fear, and chaos. Within 24 hours, thousands of peaceful protesters had gathered across the country, swarming airports in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, among dozens of other cities, while green card and visa holders were detained, questioned, and prohibited from continuing with their travel plans into the United States.
Travelers abroad feared they would be unable to return home. Refugees seeking asylum feared being sent back to states overrun with extreme violence and turmoil. American citizens and residents were sent into panic, unsure of when they'd be able to see their family members again. While the anger of those who opposed the ban grew, so did the confusion surrounding the policy. After a week, a Seattle federal judge put a nationwide block on the order, and the Department of Homeland Security suspended enforcement of the ban.
As the nation—and the world—waited for Trump's promised revised ban, many people wrote to us, sharing their outrage; others we met at protests, strikes, and rallies across the US and abroad. All of them expressed their anger, their fear, and often their hope for a dramatic change.
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