ACLU clients hit by travel ban to attend Trump address

House Democrats plan on bringing several people affected by President Trump’s temporary ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations to his first joint address to Congress.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Monday that several of its clients affected by Trump’s measure will attend his 9 p.m. speech Tuesday. 

The ACLU said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) plans on bringing Sara Yarjani, an Iranian graduate student who was detained for 23 hours at Los Angeles International Airport due to the ban and later deported.

{mosads}Yarjani, who possesses a valid two-year student visa, was ultimately able to enter the U.S. a week after her Jan. 28 deportation.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) will bring Hameed Darweesh, the ACLU said, an Iraqi who was detained for 18 hours at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last month.

The ACLU said Darweesh — who is married and has three children — served as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the Iraq War and was denied entrance despite having a valid visa.

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) will bring Dr. Ehsun Mirza, a Muslim-American immigrant, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) will host Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, founder of the Syrian Community Network.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) plans on having Aneelah Afzali, founder of the American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN), as her guest.

Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order barred travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

The directive also halted general refugee admissions into America for 120 days, indefinitely blocking Syrian refugees due to Syria’s ongoing civil war.

Critics argue the move is unconstitutional and biased against Muslims, while supporters charge it will help protect the U.S. from radical Islamic terrorism.

A San Francisco-based appeals court earlier this month upheld a temporary restraining order against Trump’s directive which was first issued by a federal judge in Washington on Feb. 3.

Trump has since vowed his administration will craft a revised version of the order that can withstand legal challenges, which could be released as soon as this week.