RASC News Agency: A coalition of refugee advocates, representing U.S. military veterans and human rights defenders, has issued a stark warning to the Trump administration regarding the grave security consequences of halting the resettlement process for Afghanistani citizens who once served as American allies. According to Reuters, the group emphasizes that tens of thousands of Afghanistani nationals either awaiting refugee status in the United States or on the verge of relocation face imminent danger of Taliban reprisals. They assert that these individuals must be exempted from Trump’s suspension of foreign aid and asylum procedures, which have left them stranded across multiple countries.
Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, the principal coalition coordinating with the U.S. government on Afghanistani resettlement, has directly addressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a formal letter. He warns of the far-reaching implications of the policy shift, stating, “The erosion of trust caused by this decision could significantly undermine local support for U.S. military operations in future conflicts.” VanDiver further cautioned that the failure to grant exceptions to the resettlement freeze sends a dangerous message to adversaries like ISIS, demonstrating that the United States abandons its allies. “This policy puts the spouses, children, and parents of active-duty Afghanistani-American servicemembers who remain trapped in Afghanistan at extreme risk,” he added. As of yet, the U.S. State Department has not publicly responded to the letter.
The suspension of refugee programs, including the processing of Afghanistani asylum applications and their resettlement in the U.S., was one of Donald Trump’s earliest executive orders after taking office. His directive mandated a 90-day review of the program. Following this decision, Marco Rubio authorized limited exemptions for what he described as “life-saving humanitarian aid,” but relief organizations have criticized these measures, citing widespread confusion and bureaucratic stagnation. The advocacy group’s letter, reviewed by Reuters, explicitly calls for “facilitating exemptions” to expedite resettlement. The U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, along with the Priority 1 (P-1) and Priority 2 (P-2) initiatives, was designed to assist Afghanistani nationals who collaborated with American forces during the two-decade war.
Many of these individuals are now at heightened risk of Taliban retaliation. Reports from the United Nations have documented Taliban forces detaining, torturing, and executing individuals associated with the former Western-backed government accusations the Taliban deny, instead claiming to uphold a general amnesty for former military personnel and government officials. According to sources, including VanDiver and an anonymous U.S. official, the suspension of evacuation flights has left approximately 3,000 Afghanistani nationals who had already been approved for U.S. resettlement stranded in processing centers in Qatar and Albania.
Furthermore, an estimated 50,000 others remain in limbo across nearly 90 countries, with nearly half of them awaiting SIV or refugee processing in Pakistan while hoping for eventual relocation to the United States.
