A group of six, teen, Afghan girls was denied US visas to compete in an international robotics competition in Washington DC. When President Trump found out, he overrode the decision and allowed them to come to the US on a system called “parole” which allows them to stay in the for 10 days without a visa. President Trump took a lot of heat for his supposedly “anti-Muslim” travel ban and criticized for now supporting women or the sciences but his actions have proven speak louder than the voices of his critics.

“The State Department worked incredibly well with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that this case was reviewed and handled appropriately,” Dina Powell, Trump’s deputy national security adviser for strategy, said in a statement. “We could not be prouder of this delegation of young women who are also scientists — they represent the best of the Afghan people and embody the promise that their aspirations can be fulfilled. They are future leaders of Afghanistan and strong ambassadors for their country.”

The girls, who are from western Afghanistan’s Herat area, reportedly leaped over multiple obstacles to build a ball-sorting robot for the FIRST Global Challenge, which is set for July 16-18 in Washington, D.C.

Equipment sent to them got stuck in customs, so they improvised and used household items instead. To apply for their visas at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, they traveled hundreds of miles — twice — to Kabul, the Afghan capital, despite facing potential dangers on the road.

Although the girls were first barred from the United States, their robot was not. If they hadn’t been allowed to come to America, the girls planned to watch their creation compete via Skype. –Politico

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