1,600 Afghans among refugees stranded as Trump cancels their US travel plans

1. 1,600 Afghans among refugees stranded as Trump cancels their US travel plans

1,600 Afghans among refugees stranded as Trump cancels their US travel plans ByHT News Desk Jan 22, 2025 10:55 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Thousands of refugees who had fled war and persecution, and went through years long process to start new lives in the US, are now stranded

US president Donald Trump in an executive order paused the refugee resettlement programme this week. The refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before the deadline saw their travel plans cancelled by the new administration, AP reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds former United States President Joe Biden's letter on the day he signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria(REUTERS)

According to the report, thousands of refugees had fled war and persecution, and went through sometimes years long process to start new lives in the US, are now stranded at various locations across the world.

It includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel. The previous Joe Biden administration had cleared them to live in the US as part of the programme following the US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Trump's move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the January 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

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In an email, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement programme but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

“The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts.

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“We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honour our promises and uphold America’s values,” VanDiver added.

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa programme— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the U.S. government. VanDiver's group said that programme, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change, the AP report added.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

“This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 U.S. resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

“Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States,” she said. “It’s utterly heartbreaking.”