SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — A Yemeni mother previously barred by the Trump administration’s travel policy from flying to the United States to visit her dying 2-year-old son in an Oakland hospital arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday night.
Shaima Swileh’s son, Abdullah, is on life support at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. He has a genetic brain condition that worsens each day, and doctors have said it’s not known how much longer he will live.
“This is a difficult time for our family but we are blessed to be together,” the boy’s father, Ali Hassan, said at the airport. “I ask you to respect our privacy as we go to be with our son again.”
Swileh did not speak.
Swileh received a waiver from the State Department on Tuesday. She had been staying in Cairo, Egypt, because of the White House travel ban against nationals from certain Muslim countries.
Public outcry appeared to play a role in the department’s decision. The Sacramento chapter of the Council for American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said 15,000 emails were sent to elected officials and embassy staff, along with many tweets in an intense social media campaign. In addition, members of Congress wrote their own letters urging action.
Attorneys on Monday also filed an emergency lawsuit against the department to force a response. Jennifer Nimer, one of those attorneys, said in a statement the suit details how the embassy “callously ignored” 28 desperate pleas for help form the family over the past year to expedite their request.
The filings also included medical documentation showing that Abdullah was on the verge of death, Nimer said.
Only the State Department can grant waivers to the travel ban, which was enacted by presidential proclamation in June. According to the department, which notes it cannot comment on individual cases, all visa applications are judged case-by-case. The department can make exceptions if doing so would benefit the national interest, the person doesn’t pose a threat to national security or public safety or denial would cause undue hardship.
Swileh has not seen her son since Oct. 1, when Hassan flew with Abdullah to the United States for treatment. The travel ban prohibits nationals from eight countries, including Yemen, from entering the United States. Swileh had to stay behind in Egypt after her husband and son, both U.S. citizens, left for the United States to seek better care.
Staff writers Rick Hurd and Angela Ruggiero and the Associated Press contributed to this report.