First HIV-Positive People to Enter U.S. Since Ban Lifted

A Dutch citizen will be among the first HIV-positive people to enter the United States since the Obama administration recently lifted the ban.

The Consulate General of the Netherlands in Manhattan and advocacy groups said the man, Clemens Ruland, was expected to arrive with his partner from Amsterdam at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday.

The Obama administration lifted the 22-year-old ban on Monday. It had kept out thousands of HIV-positive students, tourists, refugees and would-be adopted children.

Steve Ralls, a spokesman for the group Immigration Equality, said the first HIV-positive person to enter the U.S. since the ban was lifted was a Canadian citizen. Ralls said the unidentified man traveled to Buffalo, N.Y., on Monday to visit relatives.