Virginia’s Governor took a stand against President Trump’s refugee ban this weekend, and now the state's Attorney General is demanding answers from the federal government.
Speaking at Dulles International Airport, which was flooded in protesters Saturday night and Sunday, Governor Terry McAuliffe called the executive order discriminatory, and said it will breed hatred towards Americans around the globe.
The airport was a mix of confusion all weekend, as it was unclear how many people were being detained, what would happen with them, and whose orders border control officials would follow.
A federal judge in Virginia stepped in, issuing a temporary restraining order for one week that will block green card holders arriving at Dulles International Airport from being removed from the country. The judge’s order also says those people must be granted access to their lawyers.
According to the Legal Aid Justice Center, which filed the suit, between fifty and sixty permanent residents of the U.S. were detained at Dulles this weekend.
But even after the judge stepped in, it was unclear Sunday if border patrol officials were following the orders.
Virginia congressmen Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer, both Democrats, spent much of the day Sunday at the airport trying to get answers from officials.
On Sunday the Governor sent a letter to the White House asking for details on what had happened: including exactly how many travelers were detained at Dulles, and what immediate plan and approach would be taken toward any persons whose "status remains uncertain."
Late Sunday evening, Attorney General Mark Herring also filed a formal request for more information from the Trump administration.
"I am deeply concerned about events at Dulles International Airport," he wrote. "I am particularly troubled that Virginia residents were detained or returned to the country from which their travel originated."
