Image copyrightAPA US Army officer has brought his former Afghan interpreter to live with him in America amid fears he could fall foul of new immigration restrictions.
Capt Matthew Ball paid for Qismat Amin’s airline ticket after the interpreter waited nearly four years for a special immigrant visa.
A Trump administration travel ban affects seven mainly Muslim countries, but Afghanistan is not among them.
Capt Ball bought the ticket in case the ban was expanded to Afghanistan.
- Coming to America: One translator’s harrowing journey
- What Trump team has said about Islam
- Is the US facing a constitutional crisis?
- Is Trump’s immigration order legal?
“I’m so happy,” the officer said after welcoming Mr Amin to San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday.
“Yeah, it feels great. I’m happy to see him. I’m sort of overwhelmed. He’s here. It’s been a long time.”
For now, Mr Amin will live with Capt Ball and his wife, Giselle Rahn, in Palo Alto, California.
Image copyrightAPMr Amin reportedly went into hiding after receiving death threats from the Taliban for working with American troops.
His visa arrived two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the US refugee programme and temporarily banning immigration from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38922168
Categories: Afghanistan, The Muslim Times, United States