Within his first week of assuming public office, President Donald Trump has signed an astounding fourteen executive orders, a stark contrast to his campaign promise of repealing all of Barack Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders. Among these controversial regulations and policies included the banning of Muslims and refugees from seven countries that have been known to harbor terrorist organizations.

However, the phrasing of the executive action and the underlying principle is what has caused mass protests across the country. When the action was signed, it placed many individuals in possession of visas and proper documentation into limbo. The order stated that they were not to be allowed on American soil; therefore, when these select few persons arrived by plane, they were detained by Transportation Security Administration personnel.

Many of these individuals were Muslim or had Arab heritage, which further prompted officials to restrain them under the newfound executive order. After numerous reports of these occurrences, protests across the nation ensued. At John Fitzgerald International Airport in New York City, areas within close proximity to the terminals were packed with nearly 120,000 dissidents.

Meanwhile, Tampa held its own protest against the executive action. In the early evening of January 29th, hundreds packed the streets of Ybor City, loudly advocating for the rights of immigrants, refugees, and others who were affected by the order.

A participant of the march, Mary Kate Downing, stated, “I marched because it’s important to portray that a majority of Americans do not agree with the actions of Mr. Trump, especially this executive order.”

Participants also voiced their concern for the possible violations of the first amendment, which grants freedom of religion, speech, and press. Throughout his political career, Mr. Trump has come under immense fire for his actions and divisive rhetoric. The latest executive order has proven to be no exception.

Donald Trump faced unproportional amounts of backlash from citizens, governmental agencies, and mainstream media. Soon afterwards, United States District Appeals Judge Ann M. Donnelly temporarily blocked a portion of the order. Donnelly justified her barring of the order by claiming detaining properly documented United States citizens based on their religious beliefs or origins is unconstitutional. Now, those who were improperly detained have been released by officials, and the fight to reinstate or disband the entirety of the executive order is being fought.