IRMO, SC (AP) – Mohammad Sharafoddin, his wife, and their young son embarked on a journey that saw them leave Afghanistan and traverse the Mountain Pass for 36 continuous hours. Less than a decade later, they now find themselves nestled in the plush love seat of their three-bedroom suburban home.
He and his wife had hopes of bringing her niece to the United States to share in their fortune. They dreamed of her studying at medical school, so she could carve her own future.
However, that possibility will come to an end on Monday with the implementation of travel bans for Afghan nationals and 12 other countries.
“Hearing about Afghanistan is rather shocking for us now, especially for women who are more impacted than others by the new government,” Mohammad Sharafodin said, alluding to the Taliban rulers. “We never anticipated this travel ban.”
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the final stages of Western troop withdrawals, leading to the prohibition of education for women and girls beyond the sixth grade, as well as restrictions on most employment opportunities and many public spaces. Last August, they introduced laws banning women from showing their faces or voices in public.
President Donald Trump signed a travel ban on Wednesday. This is similar to the one during his first administration but now includes additional countries. Alongside Afghanistan, travel to the United States is now barred from Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Trump asserted that visa overstays pose a danger to the country, citing an individual charged with an attack that injured numerous protesters in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month. The suspect, originating from Egypt, is not included in the ban.
Countries selected for the ban either lack adequate screening of their citizens or often refuse to accept deportation, and have a higher rate of individuals overstaying their visas in the U.S., according to Trump.
The ban does not apply to Afghans holding special immigration visas, generally granted to those who worked closely with the U.S. government during the two-decade war.
Thousands of refugees from Afghanistan
Afghanistan remains one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with around 14,000 arrivals expected in the 12-month period starting September 2024.
This was the path that Sharafoddin, along with his wife and son, took while navigating dark mountain trails to reach Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. Having worked in a factory in Turkey for several years, he learned English by listening to YouTube videos and ultimately resettled in Irmo, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia.
Now 11, his son and his wife welcomed a daughter in the U.S., who is currently three years old. As jewelry makers, they have jobs that afford them a two-story, three-bedroom home. Food was spread out on two tables for the Muslim celebration Eid Al Adha.
Nuriya, Sharafoddin’s wife, said she has been learning English diligently.
“My son excels in school, and I’m also very proud of my daughter. I believe that in 18 years, they will both be working, and my daughter will get the chance to go to college,” she expressed.
The family wants to help their niece
That was the future she envisioned for her niece. The couple frequently shares her artwork and videos through mobile phone. When the Taliban regained power in 2021, her niece was cut off from her studies. Consequently, the couple began planning to bring her to the U.S. for better educational opportunities.
Nuriya is uncertain whether her niece has heard about the news from the U.S. She hasn’t had the courage to call and tell her.
“I’m not prepared to break the news. It’s disheartening, as she’s worried and wants to come,” Nuriya said.
Jim Ray arrived while the couple was talking. He has assisted many refugee families in settling in Colombia and has helped Sharafoddin navigate inquiries in a second language.
Ray noted that Afghan refugees in Colombia are acutely aware that the Taliban’s return has altered the U.S.’s engagement with their home country.
However, the ban permits spouses, children, and parents to enter the United States, but excludes other family members. Many Afghans are aware that their extended relatives are starving or suffering, and suddenly the path to assist them has been shut, Ray commented.
“We need to watch for developments regarding the travel ban and its specifics,” he remarked. “It’s a difficult situation for families unable to reunite, and that’s genuinely painful.”
The Taliban condemns the travel ban
The Taliban has condemned Trump’s ban, with their senior leader, Hibatura Ahnzada, stating that the United States has become an oppressor of the world.
“Citizens from 12 countries are barred from entering. Afghans are included in this too,” he remarked in a social media recording. “Why? Because the Afghan government cannot control its populace and is blamed for people leaving the country. So it’s oppression! Is this what you call a friendship with humanity?”
Source: apnews.com