Muslim Americans across the U.S. are celebrating President Biden's day-1 reversal of former President Trump's travel ban that targeted several Muslim-majority countries.
The big picture: The repeal of what many critics called the "Muslim ban" renews hope for thousands of families separated by Trump's order.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Mina Mahdavi, a Campbell-based cybersecurity engineer, has renewed hopes that her mother, who lives in Iran, could spend time with her grandson, who was born months after Trump signed the ban, ABC7 reports.
- Mahdavi wanted her mom to visit with a tourist visa, but the visa was denied.
In New York, Nashwan Mozeb, a bodega worker from Queens, hopes to see his wife, who is in war-torn Yemen. He's been trying to bring her to the U.S. since 2016, according to The City.
- "Every day I pray to God to get together because it’s too hard," Mozeb told The City, saying he hopes his wife’s visa application will be approved quickly.
In Chicago, Jihad Al-Nabi, a Syrian refugee who works as a pastry chef, is hopeful he will be able to reunite with his family, he told ABC7 Chicago.
In Los Angeles, Mania Darbani called her mother, who is in Iran, on the night of Biden's inauguration as they remembered his promise to repeal the ban, Reuters writes.
- "It means I can get to you very soon," Darbani's mother told her.
But, but, but: The coronavirus pandemic may prevent some families from gathering as travel and visa restrictions are in place.
- There is also an enormous volume of visa and waiver cases that must be resolved.