Chaos keeps Toronto man’s family apart,
Brother and sister from Syria, living in Toronto, Washington won’t attempt to cross border
Mahmoud Allouch is not making any plans to travel to the United States and doesn’t know when his sister will be able — or willing — to risk coming to see him.
The siblings were born in Syria. They have lived, worked and gone to school in North America for the better part of a decade.
Allouch, 26, lives in Toronto and has applied to become a permanent resident of Canada. His sister, 28, made her home in Washington, D.C., and has her green card, which makes her a legal permanent resident of the United States.
A broad ban stopping citizens of mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States means Allouch won’t attempt to enter the U.S. for the foreseeable future. His sister, he said, had no immediate plans to leave, unsure if her green card would be enough to get her home once she crossed the border.
“It is really just weird to see it happen in 2017, after the world was mov- ing toward less borders, less walls,” or away from the heavy travel restrictions imposed post 9/11, Allouch said, speaking to the Star less than 24 hours after the ban was announced.
Allouch asked that his sister’s name not be used. He said he was concerned for her safety.
Their mother, also Syrian, had moved to Bahrain a few years ago and often travelled to the U.S. over the Christmas holiday and in the summer so the three of them could be together, he said.
“There is uncertainty, there is apprehension, there is a lot of ambiguity, so we are playing it safe,” and holding off on making plans, Allouch said.
The executive order was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday. It means a 90-day ban on entry to the U.S. for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and a120-day suspension on the entry of refugees.
Refugees from Syria are barred indefinitely.
It resulted in chaos, confusion, protests and legal challenges across the United States.
It also produced a deep sense of unease among Canadians who come from or have family from the coun- tries on Trump’s list, but who hadn’t received public assurances from their own government on what the ban could mean.
Canadian officials were given no warning or opportunity to discuss the ban with U.S. officials and first learned the details contained in Trump’s executive order through the news, according to Daniel Jean, national security adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who spoke at a Sunday press conference.
The Canadian government confirmed over the weekend that dual citizens and permanent residents of Canada will not be subject to the ban.
In the U.S., the ban at first seemed to extend to people with valid green cards, resulting in people being detained and prompting massive protests at airports across the country.
On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said people with valid green cards could enter the U.S. from that point on, but that border officials had “discretionary authority,” to detain and question people, the New York Times reported.