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Unsuspecting Passenger At Center Of Protest At DIA

DENVER (CBS4) - A federal judge has halted part of President Trump's executive order regarding immigration.

There were cheers outside the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, when the decision was announced.

The ruling affects people from the seven countries in the president's travel ban. It says anyone who arrives in the U.S. with a valid visa or refugee application should be allowed to enter the country.

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The judge's ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of travelers from those nations which are predominantly Muslim.

The president's travel ban spurred protests at airports across the country, including at Denver International Airport where protesters there were warned they could be arrested.

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But the crowd at DIA said they weren't there to protest or demonstrate. Instead, they used the arrival one unsuspecting passenger who was at the center of their movement.

"Omar is coming which gives us the legal right to be in this airport no matter what," a woman said.

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Citizens gathered to welcome their friend Omar after his flight to DIA. While they waited many took the opportunity to publicly voice their concerns over President Trump's executive order on immigration.

"It was a reminder that wars do not need to be waged; the constitution just needs to be brought to light once again," another woman said.

"The ban is un-American," a man said.

Trump defended his executive order.

"It's not a Muslim ban but we are totally prepared to work it out very nicely," Trump said.

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Obeid Kaifo says it hits close to home.

"I have family in Syria. I have family that are refugees. If they had the chance of leaving, now they certainly don't," Kaifo said. "It's very disheartening."

While many Muslim travelers didn't make it to their destination, Omar came home to a very warm welcome.

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Omar (credit: CBS)

"No one was arrested and everyone is going to walk away feeling more American than when they got here," another woman said.

A group of immigration attorneys who waited at the international arrival gate all day told CBS4's Andrea Flores that to their knowledge nobody was detained.

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