ISLAMABAD — A group of Afghan refugees who fled their homeland following the Taliban’s return to power are calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to grant them an exemption from a recent order halting the resettlement of refugees in the United States. Many of these individuals claim to have put their lives at risk in support of U.S. military operations.
Roughly 15,000 Afghans are currently in Pakistan, awaiting approval for resettlement through an American program aimed at safeguarding those who may be targeted by the Taliban due to their associations with U.S. entities, including the government, media, and aid organizations. This initiative emerged in response to the destabilizing consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which coincided with the Taliban’s resurgence.
However, during his early days in office, Trump’s administration declared a three-month suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program starting January 27. The administration indicated that during this period, the Secretary of Homeland Security would work alongside the Secretary of State to determine whether resuming the program aligns with U.S. interests.
Authorities in Pakistan have not provided immediate insight into the situation, but they have called on the international community to address the status of the 1.45 million Afghan refugees residing in the country, stressing that they cannot remain indefinitely.
In an open letter directed toward Trump, members of an advocacy group known as Afghan USRAP Refugees articulated their concerns, asserting, “Many of us risked our lives to support the U.S. mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders, and allies.” They emphasized that the Taliban views them as traitors and that returning to Afghanistan could result in severe repercussions such as arrest, torture, or death. The letter also pointed out the increasingly precarious conditions in Pakistan, with arbitrary arrests and a rise in insecurity compounding their distress.
Hadisa Bibi, who evacuated from Kabul to Pakistan just last month, recounted her previous life as a university student before the Taliban imposed restrictions on women’s education. Hoping for a quick relocation to the U.S., she expressed that moving there would allow her to continue her higher education and seek a safer future. Bibi described how she had seen Afghan individuals arrested by law enforcement in Pakistan, stating, “I feel confined to my room like a prisoner.”
Mahnoosh Monir, a former medical student, related her experience of the Taliban’s crackdown on education, which forced her to flee after her teaching job was also eliminated. She conveyed her despair over the suspension of the refugee program, noting, “I didn’t expect this suspension to happen. A prolonged wait for resettlement leads us to think about distressing possibilities, such as being sent back to Afghanistan.”
Another refugee, Farzana Umeed, expressed her emotional turmoil upon hearing about the program’s suspension. “I wept last night when we learned this news,” she said, conveying the insurmountable difficulties of living in Pakistan while not being able to travel to the U.S. Umeed highlighted the perils she would face if she were to return to Afghanistan, pleading for a reversal of the ban.
According to United Nations reports, the Taliban have denied schooling to approximately 1.4 million Afghan girls, making Afghanistan the only nation in the world to prohibit secondary and higher education for females. Both Bibi and Monir have applied for relocation and remain in a state of uncertainty as the processing times for visas for those facing persecution have lengthened significantly.
The Afghan USRAP Refugees group reported that many had their flights to the U.S. scheduled for the early months of the year following interviews conducted by the International Organization for Migration and U.S. Embassy officials. Ahmad Shah, a member of the group, stated, “We seek the reversal of the ban on the refugee program on humanitarian grounds,” as he anticipated leaving Pakistan for the U.S. in March after completing all necessary screenings.
Beyond Pakistan, over 3,200 Afghan refugees are currently residing in Albania. The country, a NATO member, initially agreed to host fleeing Afghans for one year before their relocation to the U.S. and has expressed a willingness to extend that time should delays in their visa processes arise.
