Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

That 100,000 visas were revoked following an executive order from President Trump came out during a hearing in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for two Yemeni brothers who arrived at Dulles International Airport last Saturday. (Photo: Reuters)

More Than 100,000 Visas Revoked in Wake of Trump Travel Ban

"The number 100,000 sucked the air out of my lungs," says lawyer working on lawsuit challenging executive order

Deirdre Fulton

Belying the government's claim that only 109 legal immigrants were "inconvenienced" by President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, news outlets reported Friday that more than 100,000 visas have been revoked in the wake of the recent travel ban.

According to the Washington Post, which reported the figure citing a government attorney at a federal court hearing in Virginia:

The number came out during a hearing in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for two Yemeni brothers who arrived at Dulles International Airport last Saturday. They were coerced into giving up their legal resident visas, they argue, and quickly put on a return flight to Ethiopia.

"The number 100,000 sucked the air out of my lungs," said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg of the Legal Aid Justice Center, who represents the brothers.

Indeed, Daily Beast reporter Betsy Woodruff said, "there was an audible gasp in the...courtroom" when attorney Erez Reuveni, from the Department of Justice's Office of Immigration Litigation, announced the number. 

A government official told NBC News that "fewer than 60,000 individuals' visas were provisionally revoked to comply with the executive order."

But as immigration lawyer Elissa Taub wrote on Twitter:

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Comments

This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.

Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Latest News

See all
Cori

Bush and Warren Lead New Bill to Protect Renters Nationwide From Eviction

"This pandemic isn't over, and we have to do everything we can to protect renters from the harm and trauma of needless eviction, which upends the lives of those struggling to get back on their feet."

Jessica Corbett ·

A public notice hangs outside a vaccination center notifying a shortage of vaccines in the Mahim neighborhood of Mumbai, India on April 8, 2021. (Photo: Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Campaign Slams Vaccine Makers for Fueling 'Unprecedented' Human Rights Crisis

"Covid-19 vaccines must be readily available and accessible for all. It is up to governments and pharma companies to make this a reality."

Brett Wilkins ·

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) was one of seven Democratic senators to vote against including a $15 federal minimum wage in the American Rescue Plan. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sunrise Movement Targets Kyrsten Sinema for Obstructing Build Back Better Act

"Who do you work for? Do you work for the young, BIPOC, and working people who put their lives on hold to elect you? Or do you work for ExxonMobil and fossil fuel corporations?"

Brett Wilkins ·

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UN Chief Tells World Leaders To Their Faces That Vaccine Apartheid Is 'An Obscenity'

Persistent inequality represents "a moral indictment of the state of our world," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said.

Julia Conley ·

A Colombian farmworker carries a bag of avocados after a harvest on November 21, 2019 near Medellín, Colombia. (Photo: Jan Sochor via Getty Images)

Global People's Summit on Food Systems Kicks Off to Challenge 'Corporate Agenda' of UN Meeting

"The people are hungry for real change, and are willing to do whatever it takes to fight for and reclaim their land, their rights, and the future of food systems."

Kenny Stancil ·

Most Popular

 
  1. US Urged to End Drone Strikes After Pentagon Says Killing 10 Afghan Civilians Was 'Horrible Mistake'
  2. 'I Had a Duty of Care': Doctor Praised for Violating Texas' New Abortion Ban
  3. Democrats Urged to 'Ignore' Parliamentarian's Advice Against Path to Citizenship
  4. 40+ NYC Activists Arrested for Protests Against Banks Fueling Climate Emergency
  5. Ahead of Canadian Election, Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib Endorse NDP
  6. The Real Criminals General Milley Exposed? Every Republican in the US Senate
  7. Architect of Texas Abortion Ban Takes Aim at LGBTQ+ Rights While Urging Reversal of Roe
  8. FDA Panel Recommends Pfizer Booster Shots for People 65+ and Especially Vulnerable
  9. Sanders, Top Dems Optimistic Party Will 'Come Together' for Reconciliation Package
  10. 'What Betrayal Looks Like': UN Report Says World on Track for 2.7°C of Warming by 2100

Support our work.

We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader supported.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values.
Direct to your inbox.

Subscribe to our Newsletter.

Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit | Privacy Policy
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.