One year ago, Donald Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States. At the time, very few thought he would actually become president.
When he proved us wrong, even fewer thought the ban would be enforced.
On Friday, Trump officially signed an executive order, banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries -- namely people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen -- from entering the country for the next 90 days and a 120-day suspension on admission of refugees.
As soon as it happened, hundreds of people traveling back to the US were detained for long hours and deported back to their countries.
Following massive protests at airports across the US, a federal judge in New York "blocked the deportation of people stranded in US airports under executive action" on Saturday night.
But, before the ruling came into effect, green card holders, who are considered permanent residents of the US, students and professionals were forced on flights back home.
Syrian and Iranian MIT students were sent back home - a move "barring geniuses" from entering the country
Syrian Fadi Atieh was flying back to Boston after visiting home during his break, when he was prevented from checking into his flight to the US. He was a freshman at MIT.
Iranian Niki Mossafer Rahmati was also sent back home while in transit.
"The indiscriminate visa banning policy is barring geniuses - and humans before anything else - from entering a country they have the right to visit," writes Ihssan Tinawi, a friend of both students, on Facebook.
"What would've happened if Steve Jobs's Syrian dad was denied entry to the US? At least then Trump wouldn't be tweeting @ us with his presidential decrees from an iPhone.
I don't see how a country founded by immigrants can ban other immigrants fromentering a country that flourishes because of immigrants," he adds.
"After almost 7 years of living in the US, I got deported"
On Jan 20, Nazanin Zinouri got on a flight to Tehran to visit her family, a chance she gets only once a year.
After a super long trip, she made it to Tehran on Jan 22.
"We were all happy. I was going to eat lots of delicious Persian food and make tons of great memories and go back to my life in the US," Zinouri writes on her Facebook.
Following rumors about the draft executive order, she got on a flight back to the US as soon as she realized how serious it was all getting.
"Only a few hours after the order was signed, I got to the airport, got on a plane and made it to Dubai.
After waiting in the line to get my documents checked and after 40 minutes of questions and answers, I boarded the plane to Washington, only to have two TSA officers getting in and ask me to disembark the plane!!! Yes after almost 7 years of living the the United States, I got deported," she writes.
Iraqi couple goes back home for a funeral, get separated from their kids, and stranded in Dubai
A friend of Ahmed T. El-Gaili met the Iraqi couple while in transit at Dubai International Airport.
"Now they are stranded and can't get back to the US. They left their two daughters aged 7 and 9 with their neighbor for quick trip to attend a funeral. Green card holders for 11 years," Gaili writes.
He's been living in New York on green card for 27 years, separated from his family for four years, and lost his chance to reunite with them
Mohamed Muezeb, a 47-year-old convenience store owner from Queens has been living in the US for 27 years.
His wife and daughter were finally making it out to the US -- after a four year wait for a permanent residency application which was approved just three weeks ago, according to The Guardian.
Muezeb spent all his savings to get his family airplane tickets so they could finally reunite, costing him more than $2,000.
"I don’t know what happened to my kids. I can’t talk to them," Muezeb said, according to The Guardian.
"All my life I’ve been working for my kids. What happened today has killed me.”
Syrian woman visiting her sick mother in the US got sent back to Saudi Arabia ... because she's a refugee
A 60-year-old Syrian national living in Saudi Arabia Sahar Algonaimi made it out to the US to visit her 76-year-old mother, who is recovering from breast cancer surgery.
Algonaimi was detained for nearly five hours at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Saturday morning, according to The Huffington Post.
She was ultimately forced to get on a flight back to the UAE then to Saudi Arabia despite a signed letter from her mother's surgeon to immigration officials that said Algonaimi was "needed to assist in the care of her sick 76-year-old other."