South Florida travelers are reacting to a recently announced travel ban by the Trump administration that will impact several communities.
The travel ban, set to go in effect Monday, will be fully implemented against 12 countries, including Haiti, while Cuba, Venezuela and five other countries will see heightened restrictions.
At Miami International Airport, 7News cameras captured an emotional reunion as the Saldizar family hugged a family member who came to Miami from Cuba after she was approved for a five-year visa.
While the visa holder, Miriam, was too emotional to speak on camera, her granddaughter, Leia, said the family was reuniting after being separated for 12 years and that her grandmother was one of the last people to get the visa approved.
While it’s a bittersweet moment for the family, they join the many travelers who are worried about what will happen next.
Leia said that once the five-year visa term expires, she’s unsure whether the family will ever see her again. She said that reality is a tough thing for the family.
Other travelers wonder what their family members can expect when they return from their trip to Cuba.
“I live in Miami. I’m from Cuba. My wife is traveling today over there. I don’t know what will happen when she comes back in three days,” said a Cuban man at the airport.
The Trump administration said the travel ban is the latest federal move to clamp down on illegal immigration.
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media.
The restricted visa for Cubans and Venezuelans will affect tourist, business and student visas.
But some travelers were split on the issue.
Another Cuban man, who was waiting for his mother’s arrival, told 7News at the airport that it’s the right thing to do.
“Cuba is a communist country,” he said.
But over in Doral, at the local Venezuelan restaurant El Pazo, Ziggy Alvero said the travel ban will further split families who want to leave their countries to seek political asylum in the United States.
“I like Donald Trump. I think he’s doing wrong because, you know, you don’t fix the problem, you just isolate the people. You fix problems when you help people,” said Alvero.
Some, like Cristiano Barraza, are hopeful.
“It is what it is. I just think there’s a process to follow,” he said.
Some members of Congress reacted to the restrictions.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said in a statement: “The recent partial travel and visa restrictions imposed on Cuba and Venezuela are a direct result of the failed policies and the broken relationships with the oppressive regimes of Cuba’s Diaz-Canel and Venezuela’s Maduro.”
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) also reacted to the news by saying in part: Let’s be clear: “the United States cannot and will not continue to enable these criminal regimes.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the travel ban’s end result “is families being divided and loved one unable to see each other. The work of our federal government should be to protect our borders and pass comprehensive immigration reform, not tear down our communities.”
But for the 12 countries, like Haiti, who are under the full implementation of the ban, nationals of those countries will not be allowed to enter the U.S.
Tessa Petit, an activist and Haitian immigrant herself, said that banning Haitians from accessing the U.S. is another chapter of tragedy for Haiti as an immigrant community.
“When we’re here, we count on our families to visit us. That’s what keeps us connected, and it’s definitely going to separate our communities again,” she said.
While Ade Ferro, an immigration activist for Venezuelan-American caucus also had tough words for the administration.
“They are trying to stop people from certain countries from even getting to the United States,” she said.