Miami — Ten-year-old Sofia of Havana lately recorded a plea for President Trump, asking him to rethink the partial go back and forth ban he issued for Cuba and a number of other different nations previous this month.
“President Trump, I ask you to delight rethink circle of relatives reunification for citizens,” Sofia says in her video posted to social media.
Sofia’s mom, Lia Llanes, fled Cuba 3 years in the past and is now a criminal everlasting resident of the U.S. dwelling in Miami.
Llanes informed CBS Information she got here to the U.S. with the hope of sooner or later bringing her daughter to sign up for her. Sofia is these days dwelling together with her grandmother in Havana.
“I got here with the hopes of bringing her as a result of the entire moms who come right here, and the fathers, hope to sooner or later turn out to be citizens and feature the privilege of bringing our kids,” Llanes mentioned.
That privilege got here within the type of a circle of relatives reunification visa, which Llanes mentioned Sofia used to be authorized for. Sofia used to be watching for the general step within the visa procedure: an interview on the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
However the interview by no means took place. On June 5, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation barring vacationers and immigrants from 12 nations from coming into the U.S., bringing up U.S. nationwide safety pursuits. It additionally in part limited access for nationals from some other seven nations, together with Cuba, with simplest positive exemptions. Beneath the ban, simplest U.S. electorate can follow to sponsor relations from Cuba, no longer inexperienced card holders like Llanes.
Lia Llanes 
“It used to be a large blow as a result of she used to be already authorized, and he or she used to be getting ready, studying English,” Llanes mentioned, including that Sofia used to be left so devastated through the ban that she went two days with out in need of to talk with somebody.
Sofia spoke in short this week with CBS Information through telephone, pronouncing she desires to be together with her mom.
Mr. Trump has argued the ban is essential to stay the country secure. The State Division has mentioned some other 36 nations may well be added to the listing because of safety issues.
“It is onerous to control the expectancies of folks that you are representing whilst you your self are looking to stay alongside of all the adjustments which might be going down,” Saman Movaghassi Gonzales, an immigration lawyer in Florida, informed CBS Information.
Gonzales mentioned the adjustments are upending the plans of many households.
“The go back and forth ban goes to be very difficult for people who find themselves in the midst of a procedure, as a result of they have already invested themselves, time and money, right into a procedure, and now this go back and forth ban goes to fully divert it,” Gonzales mentioned.
Llanes hopes to sooner or later turn out to be a U.S. citizen, a procedure she mentioned may just take two years. However which may be two extra years clear of Sofia if U.S. insurance policies do not exchange.
