Yemeni Mom Arrives in U.S. to Say Goodbye to Dying Son as Dad Slams Travel Ban
HEARTBREAKING
Reuters / Leah Millis
The Yemeni mom who was allowed to travel to the U.S. to say goodbye to her dying 2-year-old following months of legal challenges has landed in California. Shaima Swileh, whose son is on life support in an Oakland hospital, was prevented from traveling to the U.S. under Donald Trump’s travel ban until the State Department granted her a travel waiver this week. After arriving at the San Francisco International Airport from Egypt, the mom and dad headed straight to the University of California San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland to be with their only child, who is suffering from a brain condition. They are preparing to take the boy off life support. Swileh didn’t talk to the media, but the boy’s dad, Ali Hassan, hit out at the travel ban which nearly prevented a mother from visiting her terminally ill child. “This is a difficult time for our family but we are blessed to be together. I ask you to respect our privacy as we go to be with our son again,” said Hassan, adding: “The Muslim ban has hurt Yemen-American families and needs to end.”