On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump introduced a slew of executive orders including the swift signing of an order suspending the resettlement of all refugees to the United States for an indefinite period of time. As a direct effect of this order, more than 1,600 Afghans who had been approved by the U.S. Government to resettle in the United States are having their flights canceled, including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel.
The decision has led to panic among the prospective refugees, which include groups such as unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with families in the U.S., as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution for supporting the former U.S.-backed Afghan government. Following the release of the executive order by the White House, refugees approved for resettlement were removed from flights to the U.S. starting Jan. 27.
The executive order, which effectively suspends the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), has been implemented under the guise of ensuring public safety and national security and counteracting the need for federal aid to manage the “burden” of new arrivals. In reality, this action results in yet another broken promise by the United States as it risks abandoning thousands of Afghan allies that stood by the U.S. and its service members during two decades of conflict–a trend reminiscent of the aftermath of President Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021.
A majority of the Afghan citizens approved for refugee status had completed background and security checks and were either already scheduled on resettlement flights or in the final stages of approval, all of which was put on halt Monday evening with the signing of the executive order. This not only places Afghan allies in a compromising position but also directly contradicts President Trump’s previous stance that the withdrawal under President Biden was chaotic and it is up to him to “get these folks to safety”.
Since the abrupt and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, there has been a relocation of nearly 200,000 Afghans to the U.S. However, for the thousands awaiting resettlement and an escape from the Taliban’s rule, President Trump’s recent action has not only cast a shadow of uncertainty and anxiety on their future, but has heightened the possibility of these Afghan refugees facing retaliation from the Taliban.
In Pakistan, the suspension has left approximately 20,000 Afghan refugees in limbo. Many of these individuals, who had fled Afghanistan due to threats from the Taliban, now face the expiration of their visas and continue to ask the Pakistani government to ease visa regulations on humanitarian grounds.
As many Afghan refugees fear arrest and deportation in Pakistan, the executive order’s repercussions extend beyond Afghanistan’s border countries. In Mexico, numerous Afghan refugees who had traveled there with the hope of entering the United States are now stranded. The abrupt cancellation of asylum appointments has left them in precarious situations, grappling with cultural and language barriers, financial hardships, and an uncertain future.
The administration’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has ultimately left thousands of Afghan refugees in a perilous state, unable to adjust in their current host countries due to discrimination, social and cultural isolation, and uncertain asylum statuses—and unable to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan where their safety is at grave risk. This policy in effect not only abandons those who stood by the U.S. during two decades of conflict but also forces them into a dangerous position, further exacerbating a potential humanitarian crisis and once again leaving Afghans in the dust.
