A Syrian refugee family was greeted with applause and joyful tears Tuesday evening at O’Hare International Airport as a federal appeals court heard arguments on whether to restore President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration order.
"This is what I expected of the American people," Baraa Hajj said through a translator, minutes after exiting the International terminal doors to see people cheering, holding welcome signs and waving U.S. flags. "We are just overjoyed."
The parents and 16-month-old daughter, who were fleeing civil war in Syria, were denied entry to the U.S. last week, days after the president’s directive barred refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering.
It was a heartbreaking setback for the refugees, Baraa, a literature major, and Abdulmajeed, an accountant, who had waited two years in a Turkish refugee camp for the proper paperwork, interviews and background checks required to come to America. Baraa’s parents and two siblings arrived in Chicago in September 2016 and had hoped to be reunited with them Jan. 30. But Baraa, Abdulmajeed and their daughter weren’t permitted to come to the U.S. after the order, which banned Syrian refugees indefinitely, was signed.
"We felt like our whole dream just disappeared," Baraa said of the setback. "But when we saw people rallying on our behalf we were really inspired."
As a large screen TV just outside the terminal broadcast live coverage of the hearings on CNN, immigration advocates vowed to keep working to bring as many approved refugee families to the U.S. as possible in the days ahead.
Jims Porter, grants and communications coordinator for RefugeeOne, an Uptown-based refugee resettlement agency that worked with the family, said that the organization is still concerned about the future for refugees coming to the U.S.
Federal judges express skepticism about Trump’s travel ban Tribune news services
President Donald Trump’s travel ban faced its toughest test yet Tuesday as a panel of appeals court judges hammered away at the government’s arguments that the ban was motivated by terrorism fears but also directed pointed questions to an attorney who claimed it unconstitutionally targeted Muslims.
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President Donald Trump’s travel ban faced its toughest test yet Tuesday as a panel of appeals court judges hammered away at the government’s arguments that the ban was motivated by terrorism fears but also directed pointed questions to an attorney who claimed it unconstitutionally targeted Muslims.
… (Tribune news services)
"We are still concerned about what lies ahead," he said. "There’s potential that the refugee resettlement program will have significant changes to it."
The family arrived around the same time a panel of federal judges in the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Tuesday challenging a lower court judge’s decision to put Trump’s order on hold.
The government asked the court to restore the administration’s executive order, contending that the president alone has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the United States. But several states challenged the ban and lawyers argued Tuesday that Trump’s executive order was intended to target Muslims, and is unconstitutional.
One of the judges said Tuesday they would try to make their decision quickly, and a spokesman for the court earlier said it could come some time this week. Whatever the decision, either side could still appeal to the Supreme Court.
In Chicago, the uncertainty has left RefugeeOne scrambling to help families stuck in limbo.
Baraa and Abdulmajeed and their daughter had been staying in a hotel in Istanbul because the refugee camp where they had last lived was 17 hours away from Turkey’s international airport. The family had already sold all their belongings.
"Right now, we’re just taking things one moment at a time," said Porter, adding that at least one more refugee family is scheduled to arrive in Chicago later this week. "We’re trying to help as many refugees that have been approved for travel as possible."
News that the Syrian couple and their daughter were on a plane bound for the U.S. on Tuesday prompted tears from some members of a group of Lincoln Square mothers who had co-sponsored the family. After the family was denied entry last week, one of the mothers, Alisa Wartick, posted a heartfelt essay blasting the immigration order for denying a young family safety. The post went viral, with a photo of a crib and stuffed bunny intended for the refugee child liked more than 27,000 times.
The online support gave the mothers — who had worked for months furnishing an apartment for the refugees with beds, clothing and other needs — hope.
"I just want to give them a big hug and let them know how excite we are that they are here," Wartick said.
Tired from the flight, the baby, Sham, clutched the soft cream colored toy bunny brought by the mothers group, as her parents thanked the crowd.
"We are excited to have our daughter grow up here," Baraa Hajj said. "She will know the beautiful people and she will become a doctor."
The Washington Post and Associated Press contributed.
vortiz@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @vikkiortiz
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