UPDATED Jan. 30, 4:55 p.m.: As chaos ensues at major airports following President Donald Trump’s travel ban, the new POTUS is apparently making weekend plans to visit his sunny Palm Beach home.
The trip will mark his first to Mar-a-Lago since his inauguration Jan. 20.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice of flight restrictions for the area for the coming weekend, the Palm Beach Daily News reported.
According to the notice, posted to the FAA website, Trump will arrive at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Friday and depart on Monday. Trump is expected to attend the annual Red Cross Ball being held at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night.
Already, more than 600 protesters have pledged to march across the Southern Boulevard Bridge during the ball to protest the Red Cross having its event there, according to the protest’s Facebook page March to Mar-a-Lago for Humanity, the Palm Beach Daily News reported.
Palm Beach County officials expressed concern last week that flight restrictions for a Trump visit would hurt the area, as the Secret Service will in effect call for a shutdown of the local Lantana airport, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. The general aviation airport — listed as one of the 10 busiest in the country — sits within 10-nautical miles of Mar-a-Lago, making it subject to strict flight controls.
The flight restrictions will be tighter than those that were in effect when Trump visited while president-elect. There now will be a 1-mile “no-fly” zone over Mar-a-Lago. That will force commercial flights arriving and taking off from Palm Beach International Airport to angle themselves north or south to fly away from the estate.
A Coast Guard advisory for the waters surrounding Mar-a-Lago has not yet been announced. In past visits, the Coast Guard has restricted access to both the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the property, posting patrols in both waterways.
Protests were held at airports across the United States over the weekend following Trump’s executive order on Friday that temporarily bans entry into the United States for migrants from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees from all over the world. [PalmBeachDailyNews] — Ina Cordle