Donald Trump’s decision to ban immigration from a string of Muslim-majority nations has sparked fury and anguish around the world as refugees and migrants were prevented from boarding flights to the US. The executive order which halts travel from seven Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen- has received global condemnation and led to chaos at US airports.
The travel ban has provoked huge protests some airports across the US. The biggest appears to have been at JFK airport in New York where thousands of people gathered to voice their opposition, chanting “Refugees are welcome here. No hate no fear – immigrants are welcome here. In the US a federal judge granted a stay on deportations for people who arrived in the US with valid visas but were detained on entry. The stay is only a partial block to the broader executive order, with the judge stopping short of a broader ruling on its constitutionality. Nevertheless, it was an early, significant blow to the new administration.

According to the AFP new agency German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said: “The chancellor regrets the entry ban imposed by the US government against refugees and nationals from certain countries.
“She is convinced that even in the necessarily resolute battle against terrorism it is not justified to place people from a certain origin or belief under general suspicion”, he said.
The German government “will now examine the consequences” of the ban for German citizens with dual nationality affected by the decision, he added. London mayor Sadiq Khan has issued a damning statement on Trump’s travel ban, saying it “flies in the face of US values of freedom and tolerance.”source: theguardian.com