Afghans face uncertain future in wake of Trump’s refugee visa suspension

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ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, since being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America, has doubled down on his immigration policies resulting in the suspension of visa processing for Afghans due to their stay in the US. Awaiting settlement.

The move has left thousands of Afghans with an uncertain future, with 20-year-old Syed Hizabullah deciding to move on, saying: “It was a really scary moment for us. We’ve been waiting for almost three years. And now there is no hope.” .

Immigration, which has emerged as a key element of Trump’s presidential campaign, seems to have retained its importance as he ordered the suspension of all refugee admissions resulting in approximately 1,660. The arrival of Afghans, who were actually cleared for resettlement, was cancelled. In the country

The decision has forced the suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans approved for special U.S. visas and the threat of Taliban retaliation, a prominent lawyer and a U.S. official said Saturday.

The stranded Afghans include those who were waiting to travel to the United States from visa processing centers in Qatar and Albania.

Most of those trapped are in Afghanistan, with the rest in Pakistan, Qatar and Albania, said Shawn Vandover — head of #AFGHANEVAC — a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups working with the U.S. government. Worked for and worked for resettlement. During the 20 Years War.

The news inevitably dashed the hopes of thousands of Afghans whose excitement broke the news after students broke into silence or cried in class, who are applying for resettlement in the United States.

The sudden delay has scuppered the plans of many Afghans in Pakistan and left them frustrated as they prepare for a new life in the United States, where nearly 200,000 Afghans have been granted Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Resettled or refugees return to US after chaos 2021

“I feel so bad about this news,” said a 16-year-old girl who broke down in tears.

The student, part of an intermediate language class in which half of the students had continued U.S. visa applications, hopes to be able to attend high school in the U.S. after he stopped attending school in Afghanistan.

The tutoring academy, which has about 300,000 students, is one of the few places available to study for the many Afghans waiting for our visas.

Many people have waited years after the directive when applying to travel to a third country for processing. For them, the only option was Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan but faces economic and security crises, starting to deport tens of thousands of Afghans in 2023.

Vandor added that there were 10,000-15,000 Afghans in Pakistan who were in the United States as refugees awaiting special immigration visas or resettlement.

Vandor said he did not believe the suspension of the flight was intentional.

“We think it was a mistake,” he said, adding that he hoped the administration would waive orders for Afghans approved for SIV because they worked for the U.S. government.

“They fought with us. They called with us,” he remarked.

‘We helped you and now we expect help’

One of Haysibullah’s students, Fatima, has no idea if she received an official email on Jan. 14 — and seen by Reuters — to proceed with her family’s travel arrangements for the United States. Searching for documents was still valid.

The 57-year-old women’s rights and development lawyer, who worked for years for US-funded organizations in the central Dikondi province, started learning English a few months ago.

He said he had never thought of leaving Afghanistan before and that he and many others trusted the United States—which spent two decades leading foreign forces in Afghanistan, and now supported the government of the United States and spent billions of dollars on human rights and development programs.

“You helped us then and raised us so that we worked with you and after that, you invited us to a third country. [for visa processing] And now you’re doing something like that,” he said.

In addition to concerns about her safety following her advocacy work, Fatima is particularly worried about her 15-year-old daughter. She hopes she can attend school in the U.S. after years out of high school, and that her 22-year-old daughter can finish her engineering degree.

His concern comes against the backdrop of reports from the United Nations (UN) mission in Afghanistan claiming that the Taliban have detained, tortured and tortured former soldiers and former US-backed government officials. Targeted and killed.

Many students and teachers said they had contacted UN agencies and the US embassy this week and were sharing any information they could find on the Internet in WhatsApp groups. But there were some clear answers.

The US embassy and the State Department did not immediately comment on Reuters’ request for questions on whether the new order would affect Afghans waiting in Pakistan for visas.

“We’ve been living here for three years hoping to get to the U.S. hoping to be safe but now that President Donald Trump came. […] And told us that we will not process these cases or maybe we will delay it, you really feel cheated. “

“I just wanted to respectfully tell them that we have helped you and now we expect your help.”