On behalf of Afkab Hussein, a Somali refugee in Ohio who has been separated from his wife and children for nearly seven years, the International Refugee Assistance Project filed a lawsuit this week.
His family’s entry into the United States was initially halted due to previous President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, but the family has continued to face difficulties even under the new government.
Melissa Keaney, IRAP senior litigation staff attorney, told The New Arab, “We brought this action on behalf of our client because it’s an unconscionably long period of time to be separated.”
“It’s been about seven years since we last saw one other. It’s past time for this family to reunite.”
Hussein was raised in a refugee camp in Kenya after fleeing conflict in Somalia as a toddler.
He has only been allowed to see his wife and two small children twice since relocating to the United States in 2015. In Ohio, he chose a location with a strong school district for his children, which came at a premium. He is alone and hoping for good news.
His family had been permitted to join him prior to the Muslim ban in 2017, but the presidential order prevented them from doing so.
In January 2020, they were given permission to travel. Their flight was canceled the day before they were supposed to leave, after they had sold everything they owned in preparation for their relocation.
According to IRAP’s refugee resettlement data, the majority of refugees who were previously accepted to resettle in the United States were either denied or remain in limbo as a result of the ban.
“The Muslim ban’s impacts are still being felt,” Keaney remarked. “Changes in the way the processing was done [under the Muslim ban] are still happening.”