Immigrants in Minnesota worry about family outside U.S. as expanded travel ban takes effect
Khalid Yousif, who came to the U.S. 20 years ago from Sudan, is concerned about family members who were working to move here. (FOX 9)
(FOX 9) - At midnight on Friday, an expanded travel ban is going into effect for the United States.
The president announced last month that immigration restrictions would be imposed on six more countries. But critics of the expansion say this goes against American ideals and is keeping families apart.
The expansion has created a lot stress in communities in Minnesota. The new travel ban adds six countries to the list of seven already in place. It has forced those with plans in the works to immigrate to the U.S. on certain visas to re-think everything.
"We came through the diversity visa which is called the lottery program," said Khalid Yousif, who came from the U.S. from Sudan 20 years ago. "There was lack of opportunities for people like me."
When he came, Yousif's family was searching for a better life.
"My parents immigrated or brought us here for better opportunities seeking the American dream," said Yousif.
Yousif is now an engineer, married and raising a brand new baby, but his thoughts are with family in Sudan. At least one member whose plans to come and live in the U.S. on a diversity visa are now on hold.
"His papers have been with the embassy for at least a year, and we’re just waiting for the final step which is the interview in the embassy and all his dreams are getting shattered," explained Yousif.
The president's expanded travel ban -- which includes diversity or lottery visas from Sudan and Tanzania and immigrant visas from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Eritrea -- has raised concerns that the president is targeting Muslim-majority countries.
"We’ve expanded the fear, we’ve expanded really going against what America is, a place that’s been a beacon of hope and a place where we welcome people," said Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.
Hussein’s CAIR-MN office has been working to help families worried about the ban following the first travel ban put in place three years ago.
"We have people missing their spouses. We have fathers missing their children," said Hussein.
The Department of Homeland Security has said the expanded ban is not meant to target certain regions or religions but that the countries on the list failed to meet security criteria and could be a risk to the U.S. Yousif just doesn’t see it that way.
"Most of these are honest people coming here for good reasons," he explained.
There is currently legislation in the U.S. House to essentially ban the travel ban. It's expected to move to the House floor but most likely won't get through the Senate.