Tens of thousands protest Trump's immigration ban in cities and airports across the country

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people rallied in U.S. cities and at airports on Sunday to voice outrage over President Donald Trump's executive order restricting entry into the country for travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.

In New York, Washington and Boston, a second wave of demonstrations began the afternoon after spontaneous rallies broke out at U.S. airports on Saturday as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began enforcing Trump's directive. The protests on Sunday were expected to spread westward as the day progressed.

The president's order, which bars admission of Syrian refugees and suspends travel to the United States from Iraq, Iran, Sudan and four other countries on national security grounds, has led to the detention or deportation of hundreds of people arriving at U.S. airports.

It was the second straight weekend of large-scale protests. Last Saturday, hundreds of thousands of women participated in an anti-Trump rally and march in D.C., one of dozens staged across the country.

Trump defended the executive order in a statement on Sunday, saying the United States would resume issuing visas to all countries once secure policies were put in place over the next 90 days.

"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," Trump said. "This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe."

'Never again means never again'

Aria Grabowski, 30, of Washington, was carrying a sign that read: "Never again means never again for everyone."

Above the slogan was a photograph of Jewish refugees who fled Germany in 1939 on a ship, the St. Louis, that was turned away from Havana, Cuba, and forced to return to Europe. More than 250 people aboard the ship were eventually killed by the Nazis.

Rhonda Reese, 56, a Muslim from northern Virginia, said: "As a Muslim, I do appreciate the support that I see. Our community feels under siege right now."

In Houston, already filling up with visitors for next Sunday's Super Bowl, about 500 people marched through the downtown.

Jennifer Fagen, 47, a professor of sociology at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, said she hoped she did not lose her job for protesting.

"I'm Jewish and it's supposed to be never again. Jews should be the first ones to defend Muslims considering what has happened to us and it seems it's being repeated under Trump," Fagen said, referring to the Holocaust.