Federal officials have agreed to free an Afghan family that had been granted special immigration visas but were detained when they arrived in Los Angeles, said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with Public Counsel who is part of the legal team representing the family. The family will be paroled while the merits of their case are deliberated in federal court, Rosenbaum said. The family had been extensively vetted and approved for the visas because of the father’s work with the U.S. government, according to a federal court petition filed Saturday seeking release of the family. Afghanistan was not among the countries that were included in President Trump’s first travel ban or his new ban issued on Monday. Attorneys then filed an emergency motion for a restraining order in federal court to prevent the government from transferring the family out of state.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 06, 2017 20:13 UTC