Trump’s Crackdown on Afghan Refugees Will Have Dire Consequences

Not only are Afghans themselves confused about their legal status, the organizations that assist them as they navigate the process of resettling are working off of statements from administration officials without clear direction. “There’s so much uncertainty, and without any operational guidance, we as an organization are also feeling a little bit of a loss on how to educate the community,” said Kristyn Peck, the CEO of the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, which helps resettle refugees in and around Washington, D.C.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, the president and CEO of Global Refuge, a major refugee resettlement agency, noted that the Trump administration had been rolling back protections for Afghans for months. In January, the president signed an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and later terminated agreements with resettlement agencies. Along with instituting the travel ban, the Trump administration also revoked Temporary Protected Status for thousands of Afghans earlier this year, which went into effect in July.

“For Afghan families in particular, there’s deep anxiety. There’s anxiety about their own predicament. There’s anxiety about loved ones still overseas, whose visas are now frozen, and about what it could mean if legal protections here become fragile or reversible,” said Vignarajah. Afghans who aided the U.S. military as interpreters or in other capacities may also feel a sense of “betrayal,” Vignarajah continued; despite their assistance, at risk to their own lives and those of their families, Afghan allies are being prevented from obtaining permanent residency in the United States.