The Trump administration canceled the travel plans of refugees approved to travel to the United States before the January 27 deadline to suspend the US refugee resettlement program.
Thousands of refugees are now stranded in various locations around the world.
The comment came in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday. It left open the possibility that people who went through a lengthy process to be approved as refugees and allowed to come to the United States, and whose flights were booked before the deadline, might still be able to get under the wire.
But in an email reviewed by The Associated Press on Wednesday, the U.S. agency that oversees the processing of refugee applications and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that “refugee access to the United States has been suspended until further notice.”
Among those affected are more than 1,600 Afghans who were allowed to resettle in the United States as part of the program created by the Biden administration after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. This number includes those who worked alongside American soldiers during the war as well as family members of American military personnel. staff.
Afghans who fled after the Taliban seized power on Wednesday appealed to Trump to exempt them from the order, and some said they risked their lives to support American forces.
An estimated 15,000 Afghans in Pakistan are awaiting approval for resettlement in the United States through a US government program. The organization was created to help Afghans at risk under Taliban rule due to their work with the US government, media, relief agencies and human rights groups, following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021, when the Taliban took power.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, where authorities urged the international community to decide the fate of 1.45 million Afghan refugees, saying they could not stay indefinitely.
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An advocacy group called Afghan Refugees USRAP — named after the U.S. refugee program — said in an open letter to Trump, members of Congress and human rights advocates.
The group said: “The Taliban considers us traitors, and returning to Afghanistan will expose us to arrest, torture or death.” “In Pakistan, the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations and insecurity are adding to our plight.”
Trump’s order gave the agency until January 27 before it began halting all processing and travel for at least three months. However, it now appears that the timing on the matter has been moved up. The reason for the change was not immediately clear.
Refugees are different from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum in the United States. Refugees must live outside the United States to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.
They undergo extensive examinations before coming to the United States. Once they arrive in the United States, they are usually paired with a resettlement agency that helps them adjust to life in America. This includes assistance in finding work and enrolling their children in school.
Some Afghans feel psychologically traumatized by their suspension from work
An Afghan woman, Farzana Omid, and a man, Sarfraz Ahmed, said in an interview on the outskirts of Islamabad that they were shocked by the suspension of the program.
“I literally cried last night when we heard this news,” Omid said. She said that it is difficult for her to live in Pakistan, and she cannot travel to America either. “Returning to my home country also means taking a big risk. What should I do,” she asked, urging Trump to reverse his decision.
Reporters Without Borders said on Wednesday that among those in exile in Pakistan are Afghan journalists who had to flee the Taliban to save their lives and now face “extreme anxiety given the recurring threat of arbitrary arrest, police harassment and deportation to Afghanistan.”
The media watchdog urged Pakistan to ensure the protection of journalists, who say their visas were extended for just one month for a $100 fee.
According to the Afghan refugee group USRAP, several Afghans were scheduled for flights to the United States in January, February and March after they were interviewed by the International Organization for Migration and US Embassy officials.
“We are seeking to overturn the ban on the humanitarian refugee program,” said Ahmed Shah, a member of the group, who had hoped to leave Pakistan for the United States in March after undergoing all interviews and medical tests.
In addition to Pakistan, more than 3,200 Afghans reside in Albania. Albania, a NATO member, first agreed to house the fleeing Afghans for a year before they move on to final settlement in the United States, then pledged to keep them longer if their visas were delayed.
—With files from The Associated Press Munir Ahmed
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
