Bay Area community of Afghan immigrants feels betrayed and uncertain in the wake of Trump’s travel ban
As the Trump administration continues to bar citizens of over a dozen foreign nations local immigrant communities have been left feeling frustrated and fearful The expedition ban which expands on Trump s efforts to ban nationals from several predominantly Muslim countries in his first term now includes Afghanistan Myanmar Chad the Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan and Yemen Fallout from the ban has reverberated through Fremont s Centerville neighborhood known as Little Kabul which is home to numerous Afghan residents and businesses The city drew waves of refugees after the armed conflict between the U S and Afghanistan in the early s and has become known as a cultural hub for Afghan-Americans G Omar who owns the Afghan Bazaar women s clothing shop in Little Kabul stated Bay Area News Group the effects of the trip ban have been widely felt throughout the neighborhood and beyond Of class everyone s disappointed At the end of the day it hurts everybody It hurts not only us but it hurts America as a whole as a nation noted Omar who runs the Afghan Bazaar women s clothing shop in Little Kabul People come here for opportunity safety they want particular sort of refuge Immigrants they ve dependably made America stronger It s a loss for everyone Omar sought only to be identified with the initial G out of safety concerns Born in Afghanistan Omar has lived in the U S since the s she explained and identifies with particular of the earlier families who emigrated because of the Soviet occupation during the Soviet-Afghan War She revealed she was not surprised Trump enacted a new ban having previously noted he would But the ban s effects are still widespread she reported I imagine there s thousands of other Afghans who have family that want to come here and they can t Omar reported She reported her cousin had been trying for months to leave Afghanistan and make a new home for his family with his wife young son and daughter in Fremont But once Trump informed the new ban their hopes of a fresh start in the Bay Area were squashed Now her cousin is left reeling trying to patch a new path to safety in Europe or elsewhere in the world she explained It s sad it s frustrating and I don t think it s really a fair guidelines Omar announced It s unfortunate that other folks aren t getting the same opportunities that my family got I think it just really does undermine the whole idea and concept of what America is Omar declared When people come here they help the financial system they contribute they enrich the communities The Trump administration also broadcasted it would end temporary protected status for Afghan nationals in the U S Secretary of Homeland Measure Kristi Noem revealed there are notable improvements in the assurance and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions according to a DHS notice from May The end of temporary protected status first enacted in May and extended from September to May of this year took effect on July In Union City Harris Mojadedi an Afghan-American born in Fremont noted the feds are creating chaos I would say our group definitely feels very much under attack and very much confused on who they can trust what services they can tackle or what services are there for them because everything just seems to be all over the place Mojadedi declared Mojadedi is an elected member of the Chabot-Las Positas Locality College District board He stated the passage ban feels like these are targeted attacks against a multitude of communities with the Afghan American region being one of them He revealed that Afghans especially those who fought alongside the U S against the Taliban through various armed conflicts over the years should be protected in the states We made a promise to these refugees that if they fought alongside our veterans and soldiers that we would take care of them Mojadedi commented Now we re remaking that promise Lawmakers throughout the country including several representing the Bay Area have condemned the progress ban and co-signed a letter to the Trump Administration from Senator Alex Padilla s office demanding the ban be rescinded right away The letter penned to Trump Noem Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pamela Bondi included signatures from Congressmembers Ro Khanna Eric Swalwell Lateefah Simon and Mark DeSaulnier alongside other prominent Democrats such as Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar The U S has issued over visas in the last year to nationals from a dozen of the banned countries the letter states and Trump s actions once again disgrace the founding principles of our nation and enshrine cruelty into our immigration system Stretching back to his first term Trump s expedition bans have wreaked havoc on families and will harm our market system by depriving the United States of workers in key fields experiencing labor shortages such as medicine agriculture and tourism lawmakers wrote In a announcement Khanna advised this news organization that he will proudly represent one of the largest immigrants communities in the country Trump s passage ban hurts families and those who want to come to America to contribute to our commercial sector and start a better life Khanna declared We need a secure perimeter and immigration modification but this ban won t fix the problems with the system
