As Trump travel ban takes effect, even Minnesota’s U.S. citizens worry about repercussions
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President Donald Trump’s travel ban took effect Monday, barring citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States. It also includes restrictions on travel for citizens of seven other countries.
The full ban mainly targets African and Middle Eastern countries and includes citizens of Somalia, Haiti, Yemen and Afghanistan.
“It’s very dehumanizing for all of us that are on this list,” said Nasreen Sajady, executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society, on MPR News last week.
To find out how the news is landing with other members of Minnesota’s affected communities, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Hassanen Mohammed, the executive director of the Minnesota Somali Community Center.
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Were you preparing in any way for this moment?
We already have a large and a long backlog for folks who want to come in. And now that the ban is here, it’s absolutely a door being shut on their faces.
Does this impact any of your personal travel plans to see family?
Absolutely. I mean, you remember last time when the ban happened, it was all chaotic. There’s a lot of people with citizenship, and they still call in to want to make sure that they would not be having problems.
There are people who I know personally that scheduled to fly out in July. And now they pushed it because they want to see what happens at the border first, when people are coming back, before they decide to travel.
As you’re talking with people right now, is anyone planning on being a part of any sort of legal action here?
I would say that there is a lot of folks who have gotten lawyers that are ready to challenge their applications for reunification, especially for those who have children and wives, and they are already looking for lawyers, trying to get them ready, because they know this will be an uphill battle.
For a lot of people, visiting family is not just for fun or recreation. Many people, perhaps, are caregivers for older loved ones back in Somalia. How important is being able to travel given the different circumstances people face?
My second-oldest brother is still living in Somalia. He’s over 60 years old. Now if anything happens to him, I have to — in an instant — go and visit him and see what’s going on. All of those plans are now probably being put on a hold until we see what happens after today.
What is your perception of why this ban is in place, and how does it make you feel?
We have had one of the largest groups of African refugees settled in this country. Maybe one or two have become bad apples, but the rest of us have been successful, contributing citizens.
Those of us who are going to suffer are people who have nothing to do in politics. They just want to survive. And I think there’s a knowledge gap between what the President is trying to do versus what the outcome will be.
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