NEW YORK CITY - Protesters swarmed Kennedy International Airport Saturday, amid reports individuals were detained following Pres. Donald Trump's recent actions on immigration.
ABC News reported Hameed Jhalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq were two of 12 people detained at JFK. The nationalities of the other 10 individuals were not released, but Darweesh and Abdulkhaleq are Iraqi.
Neither men are "refugees," according to the definition in the president's executive order. Both appear to have come to the U.S. on visas, a Trump administration official told ABC News.
Ongoing protest outside of Terminal 4 at JFK Airport may lead to increased traffic. Please leave extra time to arrive for flights and contac
— John F. Kennedy (@JFKairport) January 28, 2017
Darweesh has since been released. He was seen walking out of JFK beside New York Congressional Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Jerry Nadler.
"First of all, I want to thank the people that take care of me and support me. They leave their family, their business and come to support me. This is what pushed me to move, to leave my country and come here," Darweesh told reporters at the airport.
The recently signed executive order allows for certain individuals to be allowed to enter the country if there is a national security interest. ABC reported Darweesh and Abdulkhaleq may be eligible for such an exemption, which the State and Homeland Security Departments must review.
Watch the ABC News livestream (this livestream has ended as of 1:45 p.m.):
