Muslim families on way to Disneyland say they were barred from plane

Two Muslim families from London say they weren't allowed to board a plane to Los Angeles, where they planned to visit Disneyland with their children, because of their religion.

"We've been Trumped," they told CNN.

They made no allegation that the U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump played a direct role in their case. The implication, rather, was that the atmosphere to which Trump has contributed, with his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country, played a role in their exclusion solely, they believe, on the grounds of religion.

Tariq Mahmood, his brother Zahid and his wife Sadaf were at the gate, along with seven children. Their bags were on the plane. They said they were looking forward to visiting the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and other American tourist sites.

Families told Washington said they could not come

Then Tariq Mahmood's name was called out on a loud speaker.

A member of UK Border Control approached and explained that, after contact received from Washington, the families would not be allowed to board.

The family asked if they were being stopped because they were Muslim, but were given no explanation, they said. Their bags were removed from the plane, and they were ordered to return all the duty-free goods they had purchased, and then escorted from the airport.

CNN London contacted the Home Office which manages UK Border Control, but they declined to given an on-the-record comment.

Children upset at sudden cancellation

The incident comes on the heels of high-profile and deadly terrorist attacks committed by radical Muslims, including those in Paris, in which 130 people died, and in San Bernadino, California, in which 14 people were killed.

Still, Trump's proposal was poorly received in Britain. More than 300,000 people signed a petition to ban Trump from the UK and British Prime Minister David Cameron called Trump's comments "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong."

Norwegian Airlines released this short statement: "We can confirm that a group of passengers were denied the right to board a flight from London Gatwick to Los Angeles on Tuesday 15 December at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Norwegian fully complies with requests from the border controls of each country we serve."

CNN has reached out to DHS for a response to the incident.

The families said their children are still upset at the sudden cancellation of the family holiday and that they have still not received an explanation for the incident from either UK or U.S. authorities.

They said they are convinced that the only possible reason for removing them was because their Muslim faith.

They said Norwegian Airlines has told them they are not entitled to a refund.