US court rules in favor of Afghan families seeking travel documents
A U.S. federal court has ordered the State Department to process travel documents for the spouses and children of several Afghan asylees, ruling that the Trump administration’s travel restrictions cannot be used to prevent them from reuniting with their families in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga directed the State Department to issue travel documents within 15 days for the families of five Afghan plaintiffs whose relatives had already received approval to enter the United States. The court also ordered the department to reassess the eligibility of other family members without applying the travel ban and to provide regular updates until the reunifications are completed.
The lawsuit, filed in Virginia, was brought by a group of Afghan refugees who had supported U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan. They argued that the administration’s travel restrictions unlawfully blocked their spouses and children from joining them, despite existing legal protections for asylees and refugees.
The ruling comes amid ongoing legal challenges to U.S. travel restrictions affecting Afghan nationals. The State Department had not indicated by Monday whether it would appeal the decision.
Advocates for the plaintiffs welcomed the decision, saying many Afghan families have spent years separated after fleeing Afghanistan and that some relatives remain stranded in third countries or have been forced to return to Afghanistan while awaiting permission to travel.
