RASC News Agency: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued expulsion notices to more than 200 Afghanistani refugees residing in the state of Iowa, urging them to leave the country immediately, according to a report by Axios. The warnings, delivered via email, have sparked alarm among refugee advocates and the affected individuals many of whom are former soldiers who served alongside American forces in Afghanistan. The organization “Afghan Supporters in Iowa” confirmed that those targeted by these notices are predominantly veterans of the U.S.-Afghanistan war who were resettled in the United States following the American withdrawal in 2021. According to the group, the warnings have triggered widespread fear and uncertainty within Iowa’s Afghanistani refugee community, which numbers over 900 individuals.
In the DHS email communications, recipients were informed that failure to comply with the order to depart the United States could result in detention, revocation of work authorizations, and potential legal action. Sher Agha Safi, Executive Director of Afghanistani Supporters in Iowa, told Axios that the alerts began surfacing in early April, escalating both in frequency and tone. One email, dated April 6 and sent to a refugee living in Des Moines, warned: “Do not attempt to remain in the United States. The federal government will locate you.” Safi further stated that approximately 200 individuals who received these emails had served directly with U.S. military forces during the Afghanistan conflict. Despite previous assurances, the Department of Homeland Security appears to be shifting its policy, aiming to end the temporary protective status extended in 2023 to thousands of Afghanistani nationals who were evacuated in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover.
The warning emails, though prominently reported in Iowa, have also surfaced in other states such as North Carolina and Utah, suggesting a broader federal effort to wind down the temporary residency of Afghanistani refugees across the country. In a statement to Axios, DHS confirmed that the emails were dispatched through contact information provided by the refugees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon arrival. The agency has not yet issued a formal explanation for the shift in enforcement or the targeted nature of these warnings.
This development marks a new phase of uncertainty for Afghanistani refugees in the United States, many of whom had risked their lives in alliance with U.S. military personnel and now face the threat of deportation from the very nation they once served.
