Muslim Americans across the US celebrate President Biden’s Day 1 reversal of former President Trump’s travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.
The whole picture: The repeal of what many critics call the ‘Muslim ban’ renews hope for thousands of families separated by Trump’s order.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, M7 Mahdavi, a cybersecurity engineer in Campbell, has renewed hopes that her mother, who lives in Iran, can spend time with her grandson, who was born months after Trump signed the ban, reports ABC7.
- Mahdavi wanted her mother to visit with a tourist visa, but the visa was refused.
In New York, Nashwan Mozeb, a Queens bodega worker, hopes to see his wife, who is in war-torn Yemen. According to The City, he has been trying to bring her to the US since 2016.
- “Every day I pray to God to get together because it’s too difficult,” Mozeb told The City, saying he hopes his wife’s visa application will be approved soon.
In Chicago, Jihad Al-Nabi, a Syrian refugee working as a patisserie, is hopeful he can reunite with his family, he told ABC7 Chicago.
In Los Angeles, Mania Darbani called her mother, who is in Iran, on the night of Biden’s inauguration, when they recalled his promise to repeal the ban, writes Reuters.
- “It means I can get to you very soon,” Darbani’s mother told her.
But, but, but: The coronavirus pandemic can prevent some families from getting together, as travel and visa restrictions apply.
- There is also a huge amount of visa and waiver issues that need to be resolved.