TOO YOUNG

Toddler Dies a Week After Yemeni Mom Finally Allowed to See Him

The mother was initially denied a visa to enter the U.S. and see her son because of the Trump administration travel ban.

Two-year-old Abdullah Hassan has died at a California hospital—a week after his Yemeni mother, who was kept out of the country by the Trump administration’s travel ban, was finally allowed to come to the U.S. and see him. The toddler, who was an American citizen, had a rare brain condition and was brought to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland for treatment. But as it became clear that he would not survive, his mother, Shaima Swileh, was blocked from coming to say goodbye until an international outcry over her visa being denied. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo eventually gave her a presidential proclamation waiver and visa and she arrived on Dec. 19. Her son died Friday night, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “We are heartbroken. We had to say goodbye to our baby, the light of our lives,” said Abdullah’s father, Ali Hassan. “We want to thank everyone for your love and support at this difficult time. We ask you to kindly keep Abdullah and our family in your thoughts and prayers.”