Madina Hassany said she felt helpless when she heard about the travel ban President Donald Trump signed late Wednesday. The Kent resident, who immigrated from Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban regained control, has family and friends trying to come to the U.S.

“We were hoping to be together,” said Hassany, an elementary school administrative assistant. “Now, we don’t know what will happen.”

Afghanistan is one of 19 countries whose citizens Trump banned or partially banned, with exceptions, from coming to the U.S. The ban has shaken many of Seattle area’s immigrant communities. The region has large numbers of people from several of the countries on the list, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea and Iran.

Some local residents, like Hassany, fear they won’t be able to reunite with

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