Trump intervenes to allow Afghan girls to come to US for robotics contest

A senior official said that Trump raised the issue with his national security adviser, during his trip to Germany last week for the Group of 20 summit, and had asked for additional options.

U.S. officials will allow a group of Afghan girls into the country to participate in an international robotics competition after President Donald Trump intervened, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Wednesday, ending a saga that had sparked international backlash.

The non-profit organizing the competition celebrated the reversal in a jubilant statement on Wednesday.

“I truly believe



our greatest power is the power to convene nations, to bring people together in the pursuit of a common goal and prove that our similarities greatly outweigh our differences,” said Joe Sestak, the president of First Global. He credited “the professional leadership of the U.S. State Department” for ensuring that all 163 teams from 157 countries, including a team of Syrian refugees, would be able to participate.

The U.S. State Department had declined to comment on why the Afghan team’s visa applications were denied, saying that “all visa applications are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with U.S. law.”