Girl, 12, Caught In Trump Ban Reunites With California Family

One girl, caught up in President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, was finally able to reunite with her family in California on Sunday after being stranded en route by the new policy.

Eman Ali, a 12-year-old national of Yemen, and her father, Ahmed Ali, a U.S. citizen, arrived in San Francisco Sunday afternoon, and were cleared by immigration agents upon arrival. A group of relatives, holding signs reading, “Welcome Home Eman,” greeted her.

“I’m really happy to be here,” she said, with her dad at her side, after she shared hugs with relatives, including her older sister, who she hadn’t seen in four years. Eman Ali has been granted U.S. citizenship through her parents, her attorneys said.

The latest chapter in Eman’s odyssey began on Jan. 27, when Trump signed an executive order barring people from seven Muslim-majority nations — including Yemen — from entering the U.S. for 90 days. Eman, who was on her way to Los Banos in Central California, was granted a visa on Jan. 26 but got stuck with her dad in the East African nation of Djibouti as Trump’s order took effect.

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” said immigration lawyer Stacey Gartland. “A nightmare. Every time we think something great happens, like when we got Eman her visa, something else happens.”

Gartland worked with the Alis for six years to get Eman an immigrant visa that would allow her to reunite with her parents and two siblings, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Eman, who was born in Yemen, had been living with her grandparents there as her parents worked through the bureaucratic challenges of getting her a visa.

Eman was among many ensnared in Trump’s immigration order, which prompted the State Department to cancel visas for 60,000 or more people from the affected countries and triggered large protests at airports throughout the country.

At least five courts have blocked parts of Trump’s order. On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle granted a temporary restraining order, effectively halting the ban nationwide.

To comply, the Department of Homeland Security said it told all personnel to return to “standard policy and procedure.”

A government appeal of that decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco seeking an immediate stay was rejected by the justices early Sunday, meaning the legal battles over the ban will continue for days at least.

KQED spoke with Ahmed Ali, a grocery store manager, while he and Eman waited at a hotel in Djibouti earlier this week, unsure how long they’d have to wait — or whether they’d even be successful.

“It’s not fair. She should be (in the U.S.) with us,” said Ali, adding the experience has been stressful, with his daughter crying a lot and refusing to leave their hotel room for days. “She kept asking me, ‘Dada, what did I do for them to ban me from the U.S.A?’ ”