WASHINGTON (AP) — A George Mason University student from Libya who was stuck overseas for a week is back in the U.S. after a federal judge put President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order on hold.
NBC Washington reports that Najwa Elyazgi, a senior with a student visa, was in Istanbul last week when she was told she couldn’t board a connecting flight back to the U.S. because of Trump’s order halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.
After a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban, Elyazgi flew into Dulles International Airport Saturday night. She calls the experience “a nightmare” and says she’d been panicked over whether she’d be able to finish her degree.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring was among those who greeted her at the airport. Virginia has joined a lawsuit over the ban, challenging the revocation of a wide variety of visas, including student and work visas.
“She’s a delightful young woman, an outstanding young student,” Herring told WTOP.
Elyazgi told Herring that she had been planning to get a master’s degree in the U.S. But after what happened, Herring said, she feels discouraged about that plan.
“It’s just a continuing indication of just how damaging Trump’s travel ban is,” he said.
An appeals court ruling Sunday ensured that a suspension of the travel ban will remain in place for at least another day. Herring said that the ruling was an “extraordinary message” to the Trump administration.
If Trump’s first two weeks are any indication of how the administration would be operating, he said, “there could be a rocky time ahead for a lot of people.”
WTOP.com’s Jack Pointer contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
