One local refugee couple waits anxiously for clarity on whether their children will be allowed to join them in Seattle after a recent executive order banning refugees from entering the United States.
When President Trump on Friday signed an executive order temporarily closing the nation’s borders to Syrian refugees, he dashed the hopes of one Syrian refugee couple who had sought to be reunited with their children.
Through a translator, the mother confirmed that her two adult children and son-in-law remain in Turkey following Trump’s order.
The woman and her husband — who were afraid to share their full names — obtained visas and came to the United States in December, fleeing war-torn Aleppo, Syria. Their children were scheduled to arrive in Seattle on Monday, but with Trump’s order temporarily barring refugees from seven majority Muslim countries, the parents say their children might never make it to the United States.
“We are a simple family,” said Ahmad, the woman’s husband. “We just want life and to live together.”
More on travel ban
- Judge in Hawaii blocks latest version of Trump’s travel ban
- Trump argues for travel ban after terror attacks in London
- Where things stand in legal fight over travel ban (June 3)
- U.S. to seek social-media details from certain visa applicants
- Trump targets 9th Circuit, the court that halted first travel ban
- Meet Jorge Baron, who leads the "big fight" for NW immigrants
- Trump's new travel ban avoids some legal pitfalls, but not all, local experts say
- New travel ban targets visa applicants from 6 nations, not Iraq
- Immigration Q&A: What is a refugee? What are green cards?
- Interest declines in trips to U.S.
- Wash. judge who stalled first ban is highly regarded GOP appointee
- A history of immigration in America
- 30 Days: A refugee family's first month here
Trump’s order on Friday was followed by confusion and protests as authorities began to implement the migrant ban.
Dozens of immigrant air travelers who had already been vetted by federal immigration officials were detained after arriving at U.S. airports. Some were flown back to their countries of origin, while others were allowed to enter the United States only after the intervention of immigration attorneys.
Amid reports of people being detained at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, thousands of demonstrators converged on the airport terminals in protest.
Several state and local elected officials condemned the order. State Attorney Bob Ferguson on Monday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to invalidate key provisions of Trump’s order.