By Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Practically 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. authorities to resettle within the U.S., together with members of the family of lively responsibility U.S. army personnel, are having their flights canceled underneath President Donald Trump’s order suspending U.S. refugee packages, a U.S. official and a number one refugee resettlement advocate mentioned on Monday.
The group contains unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with their households within the U.S. in addition to Afghans susceptible to Taliban retribution as a result of they fought for the previous U.S.-backed Afghan authorities, mentioned Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy teams and the U.S. official, who spoke on situation of anonymity.
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The U.S. resolution additionally leaves in limbo hundreds of different Afghans who’ve been accredited for resettlement as refugees within the U.S. however haven’t but been assigned flights from Afghanistan or from neighboring Pakistan, they mentioned.
Trump made an immigration crackdown a significant promise of his victorious 2024 election marketing campaign, leaving the destiny of U.S. refugee packages up within the air.
The White Home and the State Division, which oversees U.S. refugee packages, didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
“Afghans and advocates are panicking,” mentioned VanDiver. “I’ve needed to recharge my telephone 4 instances already as we speak as a result of so many are calling me.
“We warned them that this was going to occur, however they did it anyway. We hope they may rethink,” he mentioned of contacts with Trump’s transition staff.
VanDiver’s group is the primary coalition that has been working with the U.S. authorities to evacuate and resettle Afghans within the U.S. for the reason that Taliban seized Kabul because the final U.S. forces left Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of battle.
Practically 200,000 Afghans have been dropped at the U.S. by former President Joe Biden’s administration for the reason that chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Kabul.
One of many dozens of government orders Trump was to signal after being sworn in for a second time period on Monday was to droop U.S. refugee packages for not less than 4 months, mentioned an incoming Trump administration official, who requested anonymity.
“We all know because of this unaccompanied kids, (Afghan) accomplice forces who skilled, fought and died or had been injured alongside our troops, and households of lively responsibility U.S. service members are going to be caught,” mentioned VanDiver.
VanDiver and the U.S. official mentioned that the Afghans accredited to resettle as refugees within the U.S. had been being faraway from the manifests of flights they had been because of take from Kabul between now and April.
They embody almost 200 members of the family of Afghan-American lively responsibility U.S. service personnel born within the U.S. or of Afghans who got here to the U.S., joined the army and have become naturalized residents, they mentioned.
These being faraway from flights additionally embody an unknown variety of Afghans who fought for the previous U.S.-backed Kabul authorities and a few 200 unaccompanied kids of Afghan refugees or Afghan dad and mom whose kids had been introduced alone to america through the U.S. withdrawal, mentioned VanDiver and the U.S. official.
An unknown variety of Afghans who certified for refugee standing as a result of they labored for U.S. contractors or U.S.-affiliated organizations are also within the group, they mentioned.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Modifying by Don Durfee and David Gregorio)
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