The Washington Post said that President Joe Biden's abolition, last Wednesday, of the decision to ban citizens of Muslim-majority countries from entering America gave hope to thousands of families affected by the restrictions, which were imposed under former President Donald Trump.
The newspaper pointed out in a report prepared by 3 of its correspondents that canceling Trump's decision, which his critics call the "Muslim ban" decision may not represent an immediate solution due to the huge number of issues and visas that must be decided.
Biden had signed a series of executive orders that would nullify decisions taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump, immediately after he was sworn in, Wednesday, and his arrival at the White House, including a decree to lift travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on some countries. Muslim majority.
The ban, issued by Trump in January 2017, prevents citizens of 7 countries with a majority of Muslims from entering the United States, which are Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The number of countries subsequently decreased, as it was finally restricted to the citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, in addition to North Korea and Venezuela, and then the Trump administration added the citizens of 6 other Asian and African countries to its list of restricted countries, including Sudan, under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
The Washington Post says the legacy of the ban will remain, despite Biden’s decision to cancel it.
Many of those affected will not be able to regain the moments they spent apart from loved ones, let alone the money they spent visiting their partners, who were stranded or to go to remote consulates, and livelihood opportunities in the United States that remained suspended and then dissipated or much delayed.
The Washington Post report included interviews with citizens of countries covered by the embargo, who recounted their suffering due to the decision, which separated many families over a period of 4 years and harmed the interests of people.
Dana Al-Harbi, an American citizen of Arab origin, told the newspaper her suffering and her Syrian husband, Hammoud Al-Harbi, who lives in Lebanon, and who was unable to obtain an entry visa to the United States for several years due to the ban.
"I didn't think the travel ban would affect us," says Dana. "With the passage of time, I realized that it was not about keeping us safe ... As an American citizen, I felt that it was discrimination against us."
Dana, who is six months pregnant, hopes the family will be reunited when she gives birth to her baby this spring.
But she says the past few years have been tough and volatile, and the future has been hard to predict.