Afghans who fled their homeland after the Taliban movement Back to power In 2021 they are calling on the United States to reconsider the decision to cancel all current refugee resettlement efforts.

On Wednesday, reactions continued to pour in against Executive order Trump signed two days ago, on his first day in office.

This prompted the suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which processes refugees for resettlement in the country, starting January 27. All applications and arrivals through the program have also been suspended.

But the sudden halt of the US refugee admissions program has left Afghan refugees – many of whom have already agreed to enter the United States – in limbo, facing instability and the threat of violence.

Mahnoush Munir, a former medical student and teacher at the Language Center in Afghanistan, fled to Pakistan after the Taliban closed the school where she worked.

Since seizing power, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions Women’s rightsAnd even bans Their ability to speak In public places.

Mounir expressed his astonishment at Trump’s actions in an article published by the Associated Press on Wednesday. She told the news agency that women would struggle to “survive” under Taliban rule.

“I did not expect this comment to happen,” Mounir said. “The long waiting period makes us think about very disappointing possibilities, such as being sent back to Afghanistan or a long wait in Pakistan as vulnerable refugees, which are nightmares for all case holders.”

The United States owes the Afghans a huge debt

Others questioned whether the United States was abdicating its responsibility toward the Afghans who have supported its military presence in the country for two decades.

Thousands of Afghans worked with the US armed forces and the US-backed government during the country’s two-decade war. After the US-backed government collapsed in August 2021, many feared retaliation from the Taliban and hoped to find safe haven in the United States.

“President Trump’s decision to cancel flights for Afghans and other refugees allowed to come to the United States is cruel, ugly, and racist,” said Arash Azizzadeh, co-founder of the US-based Afghans for a Better Tomorrow. . He told Al Jazeera via text messages.

“This decision will ensure that Afghans seeking safety may face targeting, imprisonment, torture, or even worse under the Taliban’s brutal rule. The United States owes the Afghans a great debt, and we will ensure that America pays that debt, long after this is over.” Management.

Another advocacy group, Afghan Refugees in the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), published an open letter to Trump and members of the US Congress, calling for action.

“Many of us have risked our lives to support the U.S. mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders, and allies,” the letter said.

Even across the Afghan border in Pakistan, she warned that refugees were facing dangerous conditions.

“In Pakistan, the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations and insecurity are adding to our plight.”

Big request

An estimated 15,000 Afghans are currently awaiting approval for resettlement in neighboring Pakistan. Some have I waited for years He spent countless hours navigating the complex bureaucracy of the US immigration system.

Others traveled to South America to make the perilous journey north to The border between the United States and Mexicoso they can seek asylum.

The United Nations was established Named The situation in Afghanistan is “one of the most pressing crises in the world.” More than half a million Afghans are expected to need resettlement in 2025.

According to a report issued by the US State Department, more than 160,000 Afghans have been arriving in the country since August 2021. However, advocates have criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for it. Slow walking decisions upon entry.

Trump, who replaced Biden on Monday, had campaigned on a tough platform Immigration restriction To the United States. During his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican leader also imposed an entry ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority countries, leading critics to call the policy the “Muslim ban.”

In his executive order on Monday, Trump defended his actions as necessary and described the United States as being overwhelmed with arrivals.

“The United States lacks the capacity to absorb large numbers of immigrants, especially refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not impact the availability of resources to Americans,” the executive order said.

It is not clear when or if the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) will resume. He called on Trump to submit a report on the program at the end of 90 days – and at the end of each 90-day period thereafter, until he determines that “resuming the US refugee admissions program is in the interest of the United States.”

The announcement has caused concern among those in the United States, including military service members and their family members who remain in Afghanistan or in refugee camps.

“I think about this all day,” said an Afghan-American soldier from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, who spoke to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

His sister is still in the Afghan capital, Kabul. “I can’t even do my job properly because it affects me mentally.”