Family says Trump travel ban preventing mother from seeing dying son

The family of a 2-year-old boy on life support is saying that President Trump’s travel ban is preventing his Yemeni mother from traveling to the U.S. to see him one final time, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. 

The newspaper reported that Abdullah Hassan, who was born in Yemen and has a form of hypomyelination, is no longer able to breathe on his own. His father, a U.S. citizen who lives in Stockton, Calif., took him to a hospital in about five months ago, where he has stayed since. 

{mosads}The family is reportedly prepared to take Hassan off of life support. But they told the Chronicle that the U.S. State Department has ignored its attempts to give his mother, Shaima Swileh, a waiver to see him.

“All she wishes is to hold his hand for the last time,” Hassan’s father, Ali Hassan, told the Chronicle. “If I could take him off the ventilator and to the airplane, I would take him to her. I would let her see him. But he won’t make it.”

The State Department told the Chronicle that it does not explain details regarding specific cases. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

Abdullah Hassan has a rare brain disease that initially impacted his ability to walk and talk and is now hindering his ability to breathe, according to the newspaper.

The Chronicle notes that his father was born in Yemen and moved to Stockton, Calif., about 10 years ago. He met his wife in Yemen, where Abdullah Hassan was born. 

Ali Hassan told the Chronicle that the family’s plan was always to move his son and wife to the U.S. But as his son’s condition worsened, the urgency to move him to America increased. 

It led Swileh to take their son to Cairo in 2017, where Ali Hassan was able to quickly get U.S. citizenship and a passport for the baby. But Swileh’s application process for a visa took much longer. She eventually got a letter from the U.S. Embassy saying her request for a visa was being denied, “pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 9645,” according to the Chronicle. 

Hassan took his son to the U.S. without Swileh in August. Swileh is currently living in Cairo, the newspaper reports.

Trump introduced a travel ban shortly after assuming office in January 2017. It faced multiple court challenges, but was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling in June. The policy limits travel into the U.S. by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen.