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The State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs also tweeted a photo of Ivanka with the Afghan team at the competition.

Senior Advisor @IvankaTrump meets with the Afghan girl's team at the #FGC2017 robotics competition. @F1RSTglobal pic.twitter.com/DKk4QjrdwN

— State_SCA (@State_SCA) July 18, 2017

And Jennifer Korn, special assistant to the president, tweeted photos of the first daughter sitting down with the Afghan team, and at the competition, writing, \"Amazing visit 2 @FIRSTweets w/ @IvankaTrump celebrating girls empowerment & STEM at Global Robotics comp & mtg / teams USA & Afghanistan.\"

Amazing visit 2 @FIRSTweets w/ @IvankaTrump celebrating girls empowerment & STEM at Global Robotics comp & mtg / teams USA & Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/Yj4eog6fzm

— Jennifer S. Korn (@jennifersks) July 18, 2017

The team, from western Afghanistan's Herat region, had twice been denied visas to enter the country by the U.S. State Department, although the reason was never publicly disclosed. Still, many critics pointed to Trump's travel ban executive order and his administration's policies, which some perceive as hostile to some foreigners, for the girls' denial of entry.

But the president stepped in, and the team was soon U.S.-bound.

\"The State Department worked incredibly well with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that this case was reviewed and handled appropriately,\" Dina Powell, deputy national security adviser for strategy, said in a statement following the president's intervention. \"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.\"

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