"Ehsaan and Sania are thankful for the life they've begun together in Fremont, surrounded by Afghans with stories similar to their own among the many families and businesses in an area known as Little Kabul. Ehsaan, 27, was born and raised in this city, while Sania, 23, immigrated last year from Kandahar, Afghanistan. They recently married after waiting three years for Sania to obtain a visa to enter the United States."
"Their joy is tempered by recent moves by the Trump administration to ban Afghan nationals and those from a dozen other countries from entering the U.S. On Tuesday, the administration announced it would add five more countries to the travel ban list. Also deeply concerning was a recent shooting on the eve of Thanksgiving of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., and the charges against an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who reportedly spent time working with the CIA and other federal agents in Afghanistan on counterterrorism operations."
"But Ehsaan and Sania said it is unfair for the U.S. government to restrict those from Afghanistan who had nothing to do with the shootings from starting a new life as they are doing. Fearful of the backlash, they both requested to be identified only as their first names."
Ehsaan, 27, was born and raised in Fremont, and Sania, 23, immigrated last year from Kandahar after waiting three years for a U.S. visa; they recently married. They live among Afghan families and businesses in an area known as Little Kabul. Recent U.S. travel ban actions and a high-profile shooting with charges against an Afghan national have tempered their joy. Fearful of backlash, they use only their first names. Fremont hosts one of the largest Afghan concentrations in the United States; many Afghans arrived since the 1980s and after 2021, and the Bay Area houses an estimated 60,000 Afghan immigrants, many refugees.
Read at The Mercury News
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