UPDATE: Local elected officials, other West Seattleites join Sea-Tac anti-detention demonstration

7:18 PM: The video is from King County Council Chair Joe McDermott at Sea-Tac Airport, one of multiple U.S. airports where demonstrators rallied today/tonight in opposition to the presidential order detaining people of certain nationalities even though they have visas. He reports seeing another West Seattleite among the demonstrators, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. The American Civil Liberties Union went to court and reports that a temporary injunction has been granted. Also at the airport with demonstrators, area U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (whose district includes West Seattle) and Suzan DelBene, and Gov. Jay Inslee:

With @RepDelBene and @GovInslee, we are attempting to meet with border authorities to ascertain what has happened to detained immigrants. pic.twitter.com/Z785VE9GNl

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 29, 2017

ADDED 7:35 PM: Thanks to Keri Watson for sending this photo from Sea-Tac, where she has seen other West Seattleites participating and says the demonstration in the arrival hall is expected to continue until 10 pm:

Anyone else there – editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!

ADDED 9:31 PM: We don’t know if any of the people affected by the airport detentions are from, or related to anyone from, our area, but we did want to add one line from a media dispatch from Congressmember Jayapal’s office: “Family members of anyone detained at the airport should contact the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project at outreach@nwirp.org for assistance.”

ADDED SUNDAY: Thanks to Lauren for two more photos from the Saturday demonstration.

Our state’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson has joined 14 others around the country in vowing to fight the ban:

As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump’s unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith.

Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country, and no president can change that truth.

Yesterday, multiple federal courts ordered a stay of the Administration’s dangerous Executive Order. We applaud those decisions and will use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation’s national security and core values.

We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts. In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created.

Meantime, opponents of the immigration-related order have announced another Seattle protest, 5 pm tonight at Westlake Park downtown.

Julia January 28, 2017 (7:50 pm)

Thank you all for being there.

West Seattle Hipster January 28, 2017 (7:53 pm)

Serious question. What is the possibility of a recall or impeachment of Trump? This is becoming the farce of eternity.

HappyOnAlki January 28, 2017 (8:46 pm)

The problem with removing Trump is that then you get Pence.
- candrewb January 29, 2017 (12:14 pm)
  
  The GOP does not want Trump. They’d be perfectly happy with Pence however. You can bet on them impeaching Trump before the next midterms.
Billv34 January 28, 2017 (9:37 pm)

Recall for a lawful executive order?
- Alon January 29, 2017 (2:52 pm)
  
  Lawful? We’ll live and see if it stands up in court. Plenty of substance for impeachment on other grounds.
- Ok then. January 29, 2017 (8:06 pm)
  
  Are you talking about the “lawful executive order” that was found to be unconstitutional by a federal judge or a different one?
  
  Please enlighten us on your understanding of federal law.
PSPS January 28, 2017 (9:37 pm)

Don’t place any hope on impeachment or the 25th Amendment. As long as trump reliably signs all the crazy ALEC/Heritage legislation that
will come out of Congress, they’ll leave him alone and, if necessary, cheer him on. The House is now permanently out of reach for democrats due to gerrymandering and voter suppression, both of which will be encouraged to continue and get stronger with sessions at DOJ.
Question Mark January 29, 2017 (12:56 pm)

Impeachment (an indictment of an elected official) would be initiated in the US House of Representatives. It would need to be organized by House leadership to start. Then a majority of the entire House would need to vote for the articles of impeachment. A trial would be then held by the Senate, where a 2/3 rds majority would be needed to sustain the impeachment and to remove the president from office.

Even a cursory examination of the politics of the current House and Senate offers scant hope that such an effort would ever be started …

Mike January 28, 2017 (8:01 pm)

Good, glad they are making a stand against Trump’s stupid policies. He’s putting his bias and racism first. Legal residents are even barred from entering the US now. It’s insane. The countries listed are not even the ones that people who’ve attacked us are from. Trump’s blatantly disregard for religious freedom is disgusting, even stating Christians will get preference to enter the USA. He can go to hell.

JanS January 29, 2017 (1:04 am)

those countries not named are the countries where Mr. Trump has hotels and business dealings…heaven forbid he screw with his moneymakers

Paul January 28, 2017 (8:23 pm)

This is why I love West Seattle. Refugee rights are human rights. As Pope Francis said, you cannot reject refugees and call yourself a Christian.

Concerned January 28, 2017 (8:23 pm)

Sound Transit, at the request of the police stopped running the light rail to the airport station during the protest. Why?

WSB January 28, 2017 (8:59 pm)

Don’t know but service has been restored per ST and others on Twitter.
AMD January 28, 2017 (9:20 pm)

Constantine’s responses on Twitter lead me to believe that shouldn’t have happened, he’s not too happy about it, and is going to make sure the leaders of Sound Transit have protocol in place to make sure it doesn’t stop without a good reason in the future.
JanS January 29, 2017 (1:05 am)

because that’s how the protesters were getting there…
- Question Mark January 29, 2017 (1:04 pm)
  
  Light rail terminates at the Sea Tac parking garage. Yet no effort by Port of Seattle authorities to close the parking garage or to halt bus service to the airport has been reported. In fact, it was reported that Sound Transit was planning to shuttle light rail riders to the airport from Tukwila International Boulevard Station.
  
  So, not only was the Port’s action premature, it was also doomed to be ineffective …

ProtestSupporter January 28, 2017 (10:35 pm)

This is fantastic! I didn’t know that the protest was going on, otherwise I would have liked to have participated. Can someone please let me know the best way to find out about these things in the future? Unfortunately, I’m thinking that this is going to be a long road, involving many protests, and I want to be sure I participate and stand for what I believe in.

WSB January 28, 2017 (10:56 pm)

According to reports via Twitter (from individual citizens to regional-media staffers), demonstrators are still there right now.
JanS January 29, 2017 (1:07 am)

it spread quickly when they found out people were being detained. There were some announcing it on Facebook this afternoon. It wasn’t planned in advance
MsD January 29, 2017 (1:42 am)

Google issues that you are interested in locally and find groups that support those issues. Then like/follow, etc. those groups on social media. Whenever they have meetings or events or protests they’ll post that info.

Mark January 28, 2017 (10:38 pm)

Trump is a college frat boy that never grew up, very scary.

Obama on the other hand was a grown up, I did not like some of his policies but he was smart and thought things through.

Elle Nell January 29, 2017 (8:35 am)

So very very sad… this state of our country.

We must ALL work hard, stand tall, and stay firm on the ressistance- IN Solidarity!!

Ed Slope January 29, 2017 (9:15 am)

The people united will never be defeated!

Say it loud! Say it clear! Refugees and immigrants are welcome here!

wetone January 29, 2017 (10:47 am)

If I was coming home from long flight or was going to catch one there would of been some issues if these protesters caused me any disruptions. Bad place for this to go on and protestors should of been moved off Port property and dealt with much quicker. Not happy myself with things going on, but I surely don’t push my frustration’s onto innocent bystanders. Does city and state just let protesters do as they wish these days ? any of these protests permitted ?

Alon January 29, 2017 (2:58 pm)

Sorry that people’s rights are getting in the way of you convenience. Better get used to it. The new normal is going to look like a lot of protests. Try blaming the source instead of people voicing concern and trying to help. The time to live quietly is over.
Moose2 January 29, 2017 (5:04 pm)

Wetone says: “protestors should of been moved off Port property and dealt with much quicker”. Really, “dealt with” by being carted off, perhaps arrested or beaten? What are you suggesting?

You implied that the protests were delaying travelers. What evidence do you have? I arrived at Seatac at about 7pm (by plane) when the protest was in full effect. There was precisely zero impact on anyone arriving from a plane, or anyway departing. I think your bias and intolerance is showing a bit too much. If you do not stand up for the poor, downtrodden and needy, at some point they’ll come for you and there will be no-one to stand up for you.
Ok then. January 29, 2017 (5:08 pm)

What a selfish thing to say. What is going on now is bigger than you and your business engagements.

It could happen here January 29, 2017 (11:26 am)

Apparently the police have pepper sprayed the protesters at Sea-Tac to make them disperse.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/29/immigrant-ban-protest-seatle-sea-tac-airport.cnn

It is going to be a rough 4-8 years under Trump’s rule.

ScubaFrog January 29, 2017 (11:48 am)

I’d take that dirtbag pence anyday over the cheeto hitler and bannon. I’d take cheney, gladly at this point.

I never thought in my life I’d see America in this sad state of affairs. A filthy con-artist, reality tv host as “president”. Merkel had to counsel trump on the Geneva Convention. Shame on the GOP for their silence. Pence tweeted in 2015 “A Muslim ban is offensive and unconstitutional!”. Today he eagerly supports the ban.

America’s as divided as it was before the Civil War. We’ll never be a united country again.

Space Dust January 29, 2017 (12:47 pm)

Take your protest somewhere else, They should all be arrested for Trespassing on the Port of Seattle property,

Alon January 29, 2017 (3:01 pm)

Um, no. In fact, thank you to all protesting. Lawful residents of our country are being denied entry and and you’d like everyone voicing concern to be arrested? Shame on you space dust.
Mike February 1, 2017 (7:51 am)

Public venue or private property secured with public funds? You’re looking at a fine line of a massive legal battle if you arrested people for lawful protest. Seems like a waste of public funds to arrest all those protesters. Annoying if you are blocked by them, yes, worth them being arrested, not so sure that’s a good use of funds. Maybe we should stop trying to arrest protestors and focus on protecting our country, let’s start with arresting those that break our constitutional rights as citizens, hmmm?

JanS January 29, 2017 (2:39 pm)

Space dust, wetone…it’s obvious you didn’t live through the late 60’s, early 70’s.

JanS January 29, 2017 (2:41 pm)

I will leave this here, for all the naysayers:

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, ensuring that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

Keri January 29, 2017 (3:25 pm)

Anyone asking about getting info for more protests. There is another one at westlake park today at 5:

https://www.facebook.com/events/581941758669291/?ti=icl

mrs.spacedust January 29, 2017 (4:44 pm)

JanS…I can vouch for Spacedust he did not…just a child in the late 60’s early 70’s! :>)

On another note a friend of ours and his daughter were coming back from E. WA. via the airport right in the midst of all of the protesting and they had a heck of a time just getting to the pick up area. They got diverted numerous ways and kept hearing over head “delta2” finally figured it out that there was something wrong going on out there. :>(

Katie January 29, 2017 (8:28 pm)

It is the nature of protest to upset and inconvenience. That’s why it has to be a protected right.

mrs.spacedust January 29, 2017 (5:59 pm)

I don’t think most people are understanding what Space Dust means…cause some times I don’t either.

What he meant is that the protesters shouldn’t have chosen the inside of the airport not that he doesn’t agree with what they are protesting about but mostly because it disrupted and scared so many people trying to go somewhere and or get home. But I guess that is how they think it’s the only way to get their point across.

Ok then. January 29, 2017 (8:10 pm)

So you’d like them to protest something strictly pertinent to airports… not in airports?

Everyone is scared. Welcome to the world we live in. Send your complaints to the source, no the people.

Jon January 29, 2017 (8:32 pm)

The best way to protest people being unable to reach their intended destination is to block access from anyone being able to reach their intended destination.

Bless your hearts.

Mrs.Spaceduct January 30, 2017 (8:36 am)

@OK Then, so all of this Protesting happened because of our new President correct? and I don’t agree with Trumps decision and I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not or with the President either as a matter of fact.. that is our Constitutional right but what we are saying here is that the Protestors took their protest to a public place that is already under a very high risk security (do you remember 911) so YES we thought the airport was a STUPID place to have a protest. And yes people were afraid but I guess you don’t care about that since you weren’t involved.

Sorry, comment time is over.