Air France turns away 15 from Muslim countries for Trump ban

Protesters and immigrants rights advocates gathered at Castle Clinton National Monument, the physical departure and arrival point for tours of the Statue of Liberty, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, in New York, as President Donald Trump’s immigration order sowed more chaos and outrage across the country. Travelers were detained at airports, while panicked families searched for relatives and protesters such as these registered opposition to Trump’s executive order that was blocked by several federal courts. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

PARIS  — Air France has blocked 15 passengers from Muslim countries from traveling to the U.S. because they would have been refused entry under President Donald Trump’s new immigration ban.

Air France said in a statement it was informed Saturday by the U.S. government of the new restrictions, and had no choice but to stop the passengers from boarding U.S.-bound flights.

An airline spokeswoman said Monday that the passengers were taken back to their point of departure or otherwise taken care of. She would not provide the passengers’ names, nationalities or other details.

The company earlier had reported that 21 passengers had been turned away, but then corrected its count.

The passengers were from seven Muslim-majority countries affected by the three-month immigration ban: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.