An Alberta teenager won鈥檛 be joining his classmates on a trip to Washington, D.C., this spring because his family is from Sudan, one of the seven countries listed in U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 controversial travel ban.
Mohammed Hamedelniel, 15, from St. Albert, Alta., had been planning on attending the high school field trip to the U.S. capital in April. It would have been his first overnight trip away from his family.
Hamedelniel鈥檚 family is originally from Sudan, and his parents are permanent residents in Canada as part of the federal skilled workers program. But the teen still holds a Sudanese passport -- which, as of last Friday, means that he is barred from crossing the U.S. border with his peers.
Trump鈥檚 controversial travel ban has been met with widespread opposition on both sides of the border. On Friday, a federal judge in Seattle temporarily halted Trump鈥檚 executive order by issuing a nationally binding legal ruling.
Despite the changing status of the ban, Hamedelniel鈥檚 parents say they won鈥檛 apply for the travel visa for their son because they don鈥檛 want him to risk being rejected at the border.
Hamedelniel said he was upset by the news.
鈥淭he ban was specifically made for anti-terrorists. And it鈥檚 harming everyone else that has anything to do with that religion 鈥� and it鈥檚 affecting nationality,鈥� he told CTV Edmonton.
Hamedelniel's parents say they鈥檙e concerned that a rejection at the border would disrupt his classmates鈥� trip and could permanently harm their son's ability to apply for future visas.
鈥淗e might be stopped anywhere on that trip while they were going as a group, and it鈥檚 something that might affect him and his classmates, his teachers,鈥� said his mother Ingi El-Hadi, who broke the news to her son after reading about the updated visa rules online.
A school district spokesperson said the news is 鈥渙bviously something we need to consider for the future.鈥�
鈥淭he school is extremely upset that such a deserving student has to miss out on this opportunity that he had planned for,鈥� said spokesperson Paula Power for
Despite not being able to join his classmates on the field trip, Hamedelniel said the experience has taught him a first-hand lesson about politics.
鈥淗ow some people have more power and authority over other people,鈥� he said.
With a report from CTV Edmonton
