CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hundreds of marchers took to Cleveland streets Friday to protest President Donald Trump's travel ban affecting people from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The protest began at 4 p.m. in Ohio City's Market Square and made its way across the Detroit-Superior Bridge. Marchers stopped at the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse before reaching their final destination of Cleveland City Hall, where organizers spoke out against Trump's immigration order and called for Cleveland to become a sanctuary city.

Trump's executive order last week has spawned protests and legal challenges across the country. Late Friday, a federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the ban, the Associated Press reported. 

Protest over Trump's Immigration Orders at Market Square

Protesters in Cleveland carried signs and chanted slogans that welcomed immigrants and condemned the ban.

"Cleveland loves refugees," some sang, while others shouted "no hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here."

Chrissy Stonebraker-Martinez, co-director of the Interreligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia, said she and other representatives of local advocacy groups helped organize the protest. She named the Lorain Ohio Immigrant Rights Association, Peace in the Hood, Jobs with Justice, Council on American-Islamic Relations and Jewish Voices for Peace as some of the collaborators.

"People from Cleveland, from Cuyahoga County, from Northeast Ohio are showing up and that feels really good because people are defending their home. And we want to open our homes to people who are seeking refuge and who also want to be part of our community," Stonebraker-Martinez told cleveland.com.

She said she and other marchers are calling for Cleveland to be a sanctuary city, where local authorities opt not to cooperate with federal officials to enforce immigration laws.

"And not just Cleveland -- our country, our county, our state. We want the United States to be a place of welcome," Stonebraker-Martinez said.

A police escort continued to block off roads as the group moved up West 25th Street, across the bridge and deeper into downtown. Lakeside Avenue in front of city hall remained blocked off until about 6:30 p.m., when the demonstration concluded.

While the crowd snarled traffic at times, it also drew out and cheers from some passing motorists.

Marchers' signs ranged from pointed political statements about Trump to general calls for  "love not hate" and "peace." One echoed the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." 

Demonstrator Kristina Alaei said she joined the protest because Trump's ban hit close to home. Her husband is Iranian and her mother-in-law is in Northeast Ohio on a green card from Iran.

"It's been really scary for them," Alaei said. "They're wonderful people and it breaks my heart to hear (others) say 'We're going to ban them from coming here' or 'We're going to stop immigration from there' ."

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