Afghan Family Detained On Arrival In US

Lawyers in the US have filed a petition seeking the release of an Afghan family detained in the US, despite having valid entry visas.

A couple and their three young children were taken into custody shortly after their arrival at Los Angeles International Airport last week.

They had Special Immigrant Visas, granted for work done for the US military that put their lives at risk.

Afghanistan was not among the countries listed on a now blocked US travel ban. The original order prohibited the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, but has since been halted by US federal courts. The Trump administration is preparing a new executive order.