Trump's Muslim ban detains a 77-year-old grandmother, keeping her from her refugee family

Khaled Abdaan and his family are Iraqi refugees living legally in the United States, and expecting a legal visit from his 77-year-old mother, Sihaam Abaas. Except that between the time Abaas boarded her flight in Dubai—with a visa obtained weeks earlier—and when the plane landed in the United States, Donald Trump signed his unconstitutional Muslim ban. When the plane landed in Dallas, Abaas and nine others were detained and are expected to be sent back:

By 3 p.m. Saturday, Abdaan hadn’t heard from his mother for two hours.

“I’m disoriented,” he said. “I’m worried because she is older. Has she taken her heart medication? I don’t know.” [...]

“They told her they changed the regulations and her visa is not valid anymore,” Abdaan recalled his mother saying in a text. Then, communication stopped.

“She was asking when I’d be able to come see her,” Abdaan said. “I told her I don’t think I can.”

Abdaan told The Daily Beast that “An official told me he was just following the law.” Following the law is an interesting concept here, since what the president is demanding be obeyed as law is in violation of the ultimate American law, the Constitution. But the historical resonance of saying “I’m just following orders” might be a little much here.

This is monstrous. We’re talking about a 77-year-old woman who hasn’t seen her son or grandchildren in four years, because the American government—led by a fearful, insecure, bigot—is targeting people based on their religion. This will go down in history as one of the nation’s most shameful periods.