Although a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for “extreme vetting” of immigrants entering the United States from certain countries on Feb. 3, the Iowa City community remains outspoken against the ban.

Locals flooded the Pedestrian Mall on Sunday for the Solidarity Against the Ban Rally. More than 1,000 people attended the rally, with one organizer estimating upwards of 2,500 people standing on the mall.

Iowa City West High sophomore Esraa Mohamed, one of the event organizers, said she came together with other local groups to organize one large rally instead of numerous smaller ones.

“We decided to do this because of the Muslim ban, and not just the Muslim ban, but the wall, and discrimination, and hate that’s happening leading up to Trump’s [presidency],” she said.

Despite the block that has been placed on Trump’s ban, Mohamed and one of her fellow rally organizers, West High freshman Malaz Hashim, said they don’t believe the rally has lost significance, noting the federal judge’s block was only temporary.

“I feel like diversity made America what it is today, so I feel like excluding that part is rude and harsh,” Mohamed said. “Especially stating the fact that Trump’s wife is actually an immigrant, it’s kind of hypocritical.”

In a crowd that mostly opposed the ban, there were still a couple Trump supporters who showed up to the rally to demonstrate support for the president and his actions.

While one supporter said he had experienced some physical aggression at the rally, another supporter, Frederic Hayer, said those present were polite. He wanted to publicly show his opinion, knowing he would be in the minority as someone who supports both Trump and the ban.

“I get these refugees welcome kind of things, but this is just echoing what has happened in Europe,” he said. “It’s a very nice sentiment, but [those against the ban have] been kind of tricked, and a lot of refugees aren’t who they say they are.”

Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton said while he respects the office of the presidency, he sees Trump’s actions as a threat to Iowa City’s values of openness, diversity, and inclusivity.

“This president and his policies pose a clear and present danger to the values that have made our city such a great place to live,” he said. “… As a prominent writer recently observed, we are living through the most dangerous chapter to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has experienced. What happens next is up to you and me.”

Aside from physical displays of solidarity, such as holding hands, creative expression was a prominent way of demonstrating support for the movement against the ban. Musician Iris DeMent led a group in singing “America the Beautiful” and a couple other songs on the rally stage, keeping it light with a few jokes between performances.

The posters made for the rally served as a visual statement, and Tonya Kehoe, a local artist and professor of art at Kirkwood Community College, made custom signs for people attending the rally in support of the event. She said she plans to take these signs to create an installation at a currently unknown venue in Iowa City to document the time through words and images where thousands came together.

Additionally, showing up to a rally such as this — even in chilly weather — matters to those with family members in the seven countries affected by the ban, Kehoe said.

“I think one thing that’s super important is that the people within the marginalized communities with the most marginalized voices absolutely … need to see us here outside in the 38-degree weather,” she said.