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NASHVILLE JOINS PROTESTS OVER TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICYImmigration protest in Nashville | 1:19

Hundreds gather outside Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker's offices to protest President Trump's new immigration executive order banning immigrants from several countries. George Walker IV / The Tennssean

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Jack Willey says he was hit by motorist along West End Ave. during an immigration protest against President Trump's executive order to ban immigration from certain countries. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

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Nashvillians take to the street to protest President Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. Stacey Barchenger / The Tennessean

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Nashvillians take to the street to protest President Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. Stacey Barchenger / The Tennessean

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For the second day in a row after President Trump signed an executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, protesters gathered by the hundreds and flooded their local airports. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Shortly after signing documents in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said his crackdown on refugees and citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries "is not a Muslim ban." (Jan. 28) AP

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Vanderbilt PhD student Mohammad Meerzaei and his wife, Azadeh Najafian, speak at their home in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. Najafian was recently in Iran but rushed back home before Trump signed an immigrant travel ban. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean

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US President Donald Trump's executive order suspending refugee arrivals for at least 120 days and barring visas from seven Muslim countries has lost its first legal battle after a federal judge ordered detainees at US airports be released. Video provided by AFP Newslook

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Tech companies had strong responses to Donald Trump's executive order banning immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S., and some took action in response. USA TODAY

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Activists protested on Saturday the detention of two Iraqi citizens at New York City's JFK airport, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the US. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES Video provided by AFP Newslook

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Hear the chants protesters belted out at San Francisco International Airport on behalf of refugees banned under President Trump's executive order on immigration. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Olympic runner Mo Farah says President Trump's restrictive immigration plan has made him an outsider in America. Time Sports

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Fuad Suleman, center, with his wife and three children arrive back in Erbil, Iraq, after officials at Cairo International Airport told the family they could not continue on a connecting flight to New York's JFK Airport on their way to Nashville Jan. 28, 2017. Instead, they were sent back to Iraq.(Photo: Submitted)

A Kurdish family of five on their way to Nashville were stopped in Cairo before they could board their connecting flight Saturday after President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.

Fuad SharefSuleman, his wife, Arazoo Ibrahim, and their three children were escorted from Cairo International Airport back to Iraq, even though they had valid visas to enter the United States, Suleman said.

Suleman called the executive order an act ofracism and discrimination.

"I did not know the president can sign such orders," he said."Because it looks like those autocratic leaders in corrupt countries, not in a democratic modern country like America."

Suleman and hisfamily arenow stranded with no home and no transportation after havingalready sold their house, most of their belongings and their vehicles.Suleman quit his job ata pharmaceutical company, Ibrahim resigned from her position asa kindergarten teacher and their children, ages 10-19,left their schools.

They're staying in a family member'shouse until they figure out what to do next.

Trump signed an executive order Friday banning legal travel by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan,Libya,Somaliaand Yemen for at least three months. The order also suspendsthe U.S.Refugee Resettlement Program for at least four months. After the initial bans, the nation will only accepttravelers from countries with sufficient safeguards to ensure the security and welfare of the United States.

Syrian refugees are barred indefinitely.

Suleman used to work as a regional translator for RTI International, a research organization with a contract through aU.S. government agencythat works to end extreme global poverty and promote democracy abroad. Because those who workwith the American government in Iraq are in mortal danger fromgroups like the Islamic State, Suleman and his family weregivenspecial immigrant visas to come to the United States.

Erbil, where the family is from, is in Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region in Northern Iraq. Kurdistanis home to the Kurdish Peshmergaone of theU.S. military's most reliable alliesin the fightagainst ISIS.

Nashville has the largest population of ethnic Kurds in the United States, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to 17,000. The number is difficult to pinpoint because it's not measured by the U.S. Census. Many of the American Kurds came as refugees during the early '90s after Saddam Hussein attacked them using chemical weapons.

In a statement, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said hearing of this familyreminded her ofthe Suleymans, a Kurdish refugee family Nashville welcomed more than three decades ago. Jiyayi Suleyman was the first American Kurdhired by the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department.

"I know that our city would have embraced and welcomed this family just as we did the Suleymans in 1991 and so many other immigrant and refugee families before and since," Barry said."This arbitrary ban on individuals from certain countries entering the United States is wrong in every way."

Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, said Sunday that while he'd like to see a review of the federal refugee policy and immigration policy, Trump's order goes too far.

"Nashville and Davidson County have long been home to refugees. They make our community stronger and embody the American Dream to the fullest," he said in a statement. "A full ban, based on country of origin, is contrary to bedrock American values, and, in the end, will only serve to empower our enemies abroad."

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Suleman, 51,said he chose Nashville because of its Kurdish community and because he has friends who live here.

"And I read on the internet that Nashville is a growing city, quality of life is goodthere, jobs are available, crime rates are very, very low, so these are points that encouraged me to choose Nashville," he said.

Cairo officials told Suleman that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad sent a message to officials there that the family were not allowed in the U.S., he said.

"When I was looking at the faces of my wife, my children, they were about to faint," he said. "They turned pale, and I told them to sit down and drink some water. It was a terrible moment."

Fuad Suleman's wife and three children wait at Cairo International Airport after being told they cannot continue on a connecting flight to New York's JFK Airport on their way to Nashville Jan. 28, 2017.(Photo: Submitted)

Trump reaffirmed his decision Sunday on Twitter: "Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world a horrible mess!"

And Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., lauded Trump's order as "responsible," sayingthat U.S. intelligence agencies need time to "ascertain the scope of the Islamic terror threat in order to develop proper refugee vetting protocols if possible."

Suleman described himself as a secular family man who loves the diversity of Americaand said hehates extremists who use religion to justifykilling people.

But he isn't very happy with Trump either.

"How do you see all people Imean the whole nation in a certain country all at the same level?" he said."No, this is not correct. This is not the right way to deal with people."

Reach Ariana Sawyer at asawyer@tennessean.com or on Twitter @a_maia_sawyer. USA TODAY also contributed to this report.

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Kurdish family headed to Nashville sent back to Iraq - The Tennessean