Yemeni mother granted visa to see her dying son

After months of waiting, a Yemeni mother has been granted permission by the U.S. State Department to fly to California to say goodbye to her dying 2year-old son, according to her attorney.

The woman, Shaima Swileh, has been living in Egypt but is a citizen of Yemen, one of several Muslim-majority countries under a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration. Swileh's husband, Ali Hassan, is a U.S. citizen and resident of Stockton, Calif.

When the couple's son, Abdullah, was diagnosed with a genetic brain condition, Swileh requested a waiver from the ban to visit him. But until Tuesday morning, no waiver was granted, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Sacramento Valley, the legal and advocacy organization re- presenting her case. So Hassan left for the United States without his wife to get treatment for Abdullah at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland.

Publicity and pressure over Swileh's situation mounted over the weekend and culminated Monday in a news conference held by Hassan and the family's attorney, civil rights lawyer Saad Sweilem.

"My son, Abdullah, needs his mother. My wife is calling me every day wanting to kiss and hold her son for the last time," Hassan said, pleading through tears for the U.S. government to reconsider the case. On Tuesday morning, CAIR announced Swileh's waiver had been granted. Sweilem told the Sacramento Bee he is assisting Swileh with her travel plans. She hopes to leave Cairo, where she has been staying while trying to obtain a visa, by Tuesday, the newspaper reported.