A small group of protesters and a team of attorneys flocked to San Francisco International Airport Thursday as President Donald Trump’s new criteria for visa applicants from six Muslim-majority countries went into effect.
The executive order will impact people traveling to the United States from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen. The new rules will be in place at 5 p.m., according to guidelines issued in a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates, the Associated Press reported.
The move comes after the Supreme Court partially restored what was widely criticized as a ban on Muslims.
In the Bay Area, lawyers will be volunteering their time to help any travelers stuck in limbo.
The travel ban generated lot of concern at the SFO's international terminal late Thursday.
Shaz Iqubal's family came in from Pakistan -- not on the ban list -- late Thursday and is still worried about his family being treated unfairly.
"We were worried they would be questioned," Iqubal said.
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Many Muslim families late Thursday said they were relieved to see loved ones exit customs.
Visas that have already been approved will not be revoked, officials say. Travelers from one of those countries applying for entry to the U.S., however, must have a parent, spouse, child or son- or daughter-in-law already here. Other family members like grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins will not be eligible.
Christina Sinha will be among attorneys who will set up on-site legal clinics just outside the international arrivals terminal at the airport. An attorney with the Asian Law Caucus, Sinha mobilized to SFO in January when Trump’s original travel ban was issued.
