Minnesota immigrants face uncertainty amid Trump travel ban
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On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a complete ban on travel into the United States for citizens of 12 countries, and restrictions on travel for citizens of seven countries.
The full ban includes citizens of Somalia, Haiti, Yemen and Afghanistan.
In a statement, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, called the ban a “racist policy” and said “It will not make us safe; it will separate families and endanger lives.”
To find out how the news is landing with other members of Minnesota’s affected communities, MPR News host Catharine Richert spoke with Nasreen Sajady, executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society.
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Press play above to listen to their conversation, or read a transcript below, edited for length and clarity.
What was going through your mind when you heard the news?
Everybody I know who is going to be affected by this flashed before my eyes, and it kind of put me in a state of shock. Honestly, although we were not prepared, we knew this was coming, but it still kind of put me in a place of shock.
And I imagine it’s creating a level of uncertainty, too, among your community members.
Yes, I’ve had at least four different people who are affected by this that were supposed to reunite with their loved one that will no longer be able to, and they don’t know when they will be able to. Many of them, they’re being kept from starting new lives and starting their families. And it’s just been very devastating. People are scared right now.
What message do you think this travel ban is sending to the Afghan community in Minnesota?
It’s very dehumanizing for all of us that are on this list. The Afghan community has shown how dedicated they are to building a community here and contributing to the society, and this is just such a slap in the face to them. After they showed that they are trustworthy and that they are trying to be part of this new community that they’re in, it’s very hurtful.
This travel ban does not apply to people already in the United States, and there are other exceptions, too, including Afghans who helped the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan. Does this exception lessen the impact on Minnesota’s Afghan community?
So, people who were planning on leaving, even with green cards, although it says that green card holders are allowed to go, their immigration attorneys are telling them not to leave still, because they are concerned that they won’t let them come back. And so people are still fearful that if they leave, they won’t be able to return, even with a green card.
The last year has had a lot of uncertainty for Afghans in Minnesota. President Trump announced in May that he would not renew Temporary Protected Status for Afghans, and that protection ends next month. What have you been hearing about all of this?
People are confused. And there’s a lot of, “Why? What did we do to deserve this?” One day, the administration says Afghanistan is safe, which confuses us. We don’t understand what he’s talking about. And then the next day, there's a travel ban, so it’s not safe, and so people are just confused.
What will you and your organization be focusing on in coming weeks and months ahead?
We will be focusing on trying to make sure the community is taken care of, make sure that we combat the loneliness that people are feeling. People are already feeling isolated, and now that they feel trapped in the U.S. and also their family members are trapped there, that separation is causing a lot of feelings of isolation.
Our focus is going to be to try to make sure that we have community come together as much as we can and to try to find ways of joy, to give them hope.
