SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A travel ban for citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, is now official after the clock struck 12 early Monday morning.
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” President Donald Trump previously stated.
Rahmat Mokhtar worked with U.S. troops in Afghanistan as an interpreter and lives in the San Diego area.
He's now a U.S. citizen through a special immigrant visa offered to U.S. allies, and ABC 10News had spoken with him about the travel ban before it went into effect.
"When it really goes live and active, you just, it's hard to express the feeling,” Mohktar said.
Rahmat told us the ban is creating a snowball effect, halting his siblings' visa application process.
It's been beyond tough to answer questions about what's next.
"I just don't know how to answer them honestly. I just say 'We don't know yet, wait,' however, I know what's happening. So I think I would need some space and time to be able to explain to them like, 'Hey, this is how harshly uh impacted us as well,'” Mohktar said.
Countries from Afghanistan to Iran to Yemen are on the ban, with seven other countries now having travel limitations slapped on them.
"This is obviously very disappointing for the Iranian-American community,” Habib Hariri, Vice President of the House of Iran, said.
ABC 10News asked Hariri if he has spoken to loved ones about travel plans being impacted or potentially impacted by the ban.
"We're actually starting one of those conversations with a family member who has suffered from a terminal cancer,” Hariri said.
Now that the ban is in effect, things could be very serious for Hariri and those he knows who are still in the country.
"We're in the process of getting a better understanding the type of treatment that she may need, and we were hoping that absent of a travel ban, uh, we might be able to facilitate for her to come to the United States and get the proper treatment that she needs,” Hariri said.
While Hariri understands there are geopolitical negotiations and a desire to improve immigration vetting, he feels a travel ban isn't the answer.
“I think that rigorous vetting process shouldn't be just focused on a dozen countries that are on the travel ban. It should be for any visitors to the United States, and we support that,” Hariri said. “And as long as that vetting process is in place, we don't really see a need for a travel ban."
