Alwaght- US Muslim and non-Muslim protestors have condemned ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to institute a ban on travel by residents of a number of Muslim-majority countries.
The interfaith demonstration in New York's Washington Square Park took place on Friday a year after Donald Trump's first executive order setting out the ban, which has been blocked by the courts.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to decide the legality of the latest version of Trump's ban, which affects residents from six countries instead of the original seven.
It pits an administration that considers the restrictions necessary for Americans' security against challengers who claim it is illegally aimed at Muslims and stems from Trump's campaign call for a "complete shutdown of Muslims" entering the US.
The policy blocks entry into the US of most people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
The justices plan to hear arguments in April and issue a final ruling by late June on a Trump policy that has been repeatedly blocked and struck down in the lower courts.
On Friday protesters linked arms around a group of Muslim demonstrators who knelt to pray in Washington Square Park.
Trump has said the restrictions are needed to tighten security and prevent terrorist attacks. Opponents say the ban violates the US Constitution because it discriminates against Muslims and certain nationalities.
During the 2016 presidential race, Trump campaigned for "a total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States on the pretext of preventing terrorist attacks.
