Life for Refugees Under the U.S. Travel Ban Expansion
On January 31, 2020, the United States announced a travel ban that will prevent citizens from Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar — all of which have a substantial Muslim population — from obtaining certain types of visas. The proclamation takes effect on February 22.
Nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar will no longer be able to obtain visas that can lead to permanent residency, and nationals of Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be allowed to apply for “diversity visas.” Previously, diversity visas had been available by lottery for applicants from countries with low immigration rates to the United States.
This brings the total number of countries on the restricted travel list to 13. In countries like Myanmar, also known as Burma, the expansion of the travel ban blocks a significant opportunity for refugees seeking safety or family reunification.
According to The New York TImes, “The expansion of the restrictions, which already affected more than 135 million people in seven countries, is likely to hinder more than 12,300 potential immigrants in the next year from resettling, finding work or reuniting with their families in the United States.”
Blocked from Professional and Personal Opportunities
This is especially difficult for nearly three quarters of a million Rohingya Muslims, who had to flee Myanmar due to genocide, only to wind up in one of the world’s largest refugee camps with some of the worst conditions.
“The most hard-hit groups by this ban are hundreds of refugees, both approved waiting to travel and those in the process,” says Jaivet Ealom, NeedsList Community Manager and a former Rohingya refugee currently living in Toronto.
“This means that those who have resettled in Canada — waiting to become Canadian citizens — won’t be able to cross the border into the United States, losing many opportunities professionally. But it will also affect them personally. Many also have family in the United States.”
For Hani Bashir, NeedsBot Manager for NeedsList, the travel ban also hits close to home. Originally from Sudan in Northeast Africa, Hani grew up in Darfur. He’s one of 70.8 million people who have been forcibly displaced and experienced leaving the place where they grew up, seeking life as a refugee — not to a nearby village or city, but to a new country in a different continent. Luckily, for Hani, that turned out to be Toronto, Ontario, in Canada.
He was brought on to run a groundbreaking pilot project in Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya to test chatbot technology. Hani is currently in Uganda with fellow team member, Ben Siegel, to run product testing and workshops with several partner organizations including Lira NGO Forum and Africa Youth Action Network — AYAN, as well as other organizations working with refugees and displaced local communities in Uganda and South Sudan.
“The travel ban affects Sudanese refugees who have been waiting for many years in many countries waiting for a second chance to move on in their life,” says Hani.
“On a personal level, I’m not sure if I will get a visa to visit and meet some family members and friends in the United States, or they will be able to get a visa from Sudan to come at least for a visit,” adds Hani.
Hani ends by saying, “Discrimination based on our nationality or where we come from is forbidden under human rights law. Respecting people is a core value we should all embrace. I’m proud to be part of NeedsList’s diverse team that is working to ensure we promote the value of respect and inclusion.”
