Torn Apart:
Stories of Family Separation
Wajdi was on the verge of reuniting with his parents in the United States when President Trump’s executive order indefinitely suspending refugee admissions upended their plans. Now, like thousands of others, his family is trapped in limbo, facing uncertainty as their dreams of safety and stability vanish overnight.
Mr. Khan was separated from his wife and daughters for more than ten years. The journey was filled with uncertainty along the way, not the least of which included the Trump administration’s January 20th Executive Order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, shattering the hope of families like the Khans who dreamed of reaching safety in countries like the United States.
Taq, a resettlement caseworker in Ohio, has witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of recent Executive Orders that have halted refugee arrivals, leaving families like his own in limbo. Taq’s cousin and his family were scheduled to arrive in the United States on February 20th but had their flights canceled, and his brothers, who are awaiting asylum interviews, are living in fear. “They are now left stranded…those still in [Afghanistan] have seen their hopes crushed.”
Zenayda is a refugee who resettled in Texas who has been trying for years to get her child to safety after many kidnapping attempts. The child’s flight was booked to arrive in February. That flight has now been cancelled, and the child’s case – which is listed as “extremely vulnerable” – is now once again delayed.
Nur A. is a refugee who resettled in Ohio in 2010 after fleeing civil war in Somalia, and has been waiting to reunite with his son, sister, and mother for almost 15 years. The family was assigned different travel dates – and while his son and sister arrived the week before the ban went into effect, his 70-year-old mother’s flight was cancelled unexpectedly on January 22 as the ban went into place. She is now waiting in limbo, stranded from her children and grandchild.
Loni is a mother of six children who fled violence and torture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The family’s flight to Houston to reunite with her husband and the children’s father was scheduled for February – but it was cancelled after the ban went into effect. Loni and her children are now stuck indefinitely in Malawi.
The Sung family are refugees from Myanmar who were split up as they fled for safe harbor. Part of the family has been resettled in Texas, and they have been waiting for years as the rest of the family goes through the resettlement process. The flight was scheduled for early February, and the family here bought a four-bedroom home just to accommodate them. Their flight was cancelled at the last minute.
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