Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said officers and airport officials \u201cencountered a small group of peaceful protesters\u201d around 9 p.m. in the baggage claim area.
Among the chants from the protesters: \u201cNo hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here\u201d and \u201cNo justice for the black, no justice for the brown, so what we gonna do? Shut it down. Shut it down.\u201d
\u201cApproximately 50 protestors formed in two distinct groups. A small group was protesting immigration and presidential executive orders. An additional group arrived and were protesting community related issues,\u201d police said in a statement. WFAE reported that the protesters included members of Charlotte Uprising, a group organized in the aftermath of September\u2019s fatal police shooting of Keith Scott.
\u201cOfficers, along with airport staff worked with organizers to facilitate lawful demonstrations. Subsequently, demonstrators transitioned to a more aggressive group, causing a disturbance in the airport terminal,\u201d the police statement said.
\u201cBecause of public safety concerns, City Code has different requirements for demonstrating at the airport,\u201d police said. \u201cThe group was asked to leave the airport and some of the demonstrators refused. Six individuals were arrested for Resist, Obstruct and Delay and Trespass.\u201d
Police identified the six arrested and their charges: Dhruv Pathak, 23, second degree trespass; Samantha Valdez, 24,second degree trespass; Eleanor Everette, 16, second degree trespass; Michael Johnson, 24, resist, obstruct and delay, second degree trespass; Gloria Merriweather, 24, second degree trespass; and James Marsicano, 23resist, obstruct and delay, second degree trespass.
On its website, Charlotte Uprising identified those arrested as \u201csix of our own\u201d who were protesting \u201cin response the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Muslim ban!!!\u201d The group also asked for a lawyer who could go to the jail and providepro bono legal assistance.
Late Saturday, two federal courts ruled against part of Trump\u2019s executive order. A federal court in Brooklyn granted a nationwide stay preventing the government from deporting people who arrived with valid U. S. visas. \u201cOur own government presumably approved their entry to the country,\u201d said Judge Ann Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York.
A second judge in Virginia issued a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation of permanent U. S. residents who arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. U. S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia also ruled that the detained passengers must be given access to an attorney.
The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that between 100 and 200 people are being held in U. S. airports because of Trump\u2019s executive order, which upended thousands of lives overnight, including permanent U. S. residents who were denied entry or stranded abroad over the weekend.
Outraged families and advocacy groups publicized cases of visa holders and permanent residents, including some who\u2019ve held so-called green cards for decades, being detained at airports or barred from entering the United States.
McClatchy Washington bureau contributed.<\/p>\n