Afghan refugees feel 'betrayed' by Trump order blocking move to US

Abdullah, in an interview with the BBC, stated, "It's like the US doesn't understand at all what I've done for this country, it's a betrayal." He fled Afghanistan with his parents during the US withdrawal in August 2021 and is now a paratrooper in the US Army. He fears that he cannot help his sister and brother-in-law escape due to President Trump's executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program.

The order cancels all flights and suspends applications for Afghan refugees, with no exemptions for the families of active-duty military personnel. Trump argues that the decision is to address "record levels of immigration" that threaten "resources available to Americans." However, Abdullah and several other Afghan refugees told the BBC that they feel the US has "abandoned" them, despite working alongside US officials, troops, and non-profit organizations in Afghanistan for years. To protect their safety, we have not used their real names, as they fear doing so could jeopardize their cases or put their families at risk.

As soon as Abdullah heard about the order, he called his sister in Afghanistan. "She was crying, she lost all hope," he said. He believes his work has made her a target of the Taliban government that came to power in 2021. "The anxiety, it's unimaginable. She thinks we will never see each other again," he said. During the war, Abdullah said he worked as a translator for the US military. When he left Afghanistan, his sister and brother-in-law were unable to obtain passports in time to board a flight.

Taliban government spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the BBC that anyone who has worked with international forces is granted amnesty and all Afghans can "live in this country without any fear." He claimed these refugees are "economic migrants." But a 2023 UN report casts doubt on the Taliban government's assurances. The report found that despite the general amnesty, hundreds of former government officials and members of the armed forces have allegedly been killed. Abdullah's sister and brother-in-law have completed the medical exams and interviews required for resettlement in the US. The BBC has seen a US Department of Defense document supporting their application.

Now, Abdullah says that Trump's insistence on excessive immigration cannot be a reason to separate him from his family. He described sleepless nights and said the anxiety is affecting his work in his combat unit in the US. Babak, a former legal advisor to the Afghan Air Force, remains in hiding in Afghanistan. "They're not just breaking their word to us – they're destroying us," he said. The BBC has seen letters from the UN confirming his role, as well as a letter signed by a US Air Force lieutenant colonel supporting his asylum application. The endorsement adds that he provided advice for attacks against militants linked to the Taliban and Islamic State.

Given that he fought alongside US forces, Babak does not understand the President's decision. "We risked our lives for those missions. Now we are in serious danger," he said. He has been constantly moving locations with his wife and young son, desperately trying to stay hidden. He claims his brother has been tortured for his whereabouts. Given the nature of his claims, the BBC could not verify this part of his story. Babak is appealing to Trump and his national security advisor, Mike Waltz, to change their minds. "Mike Waltz, you served in Afghanistan. Please encourage the President," he told us. Before saying goodbye, he added, "The only ray of light we were holding onto has gone out."

Ahmad managed to fly to the US in the chaos of the evacuation, but is now separated from his family. He felt he had no choice but to leave his father, mother, and teenage siblings behind. He says his family would not be a target of the Taliban government if he and his father had not cooperated with the US. "I can't sleep because I know I am one of the reasons they are in this situation," he added. Before the Taliban takeover, Ahmad worked for the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a non-profit organization co-founded by the US 13 years ago and headquartered in Washington. He says the work he is most proud of was setting up a special court to handle cases of abuse against women. But he claims his work with OGP and his advocacy for women made him a target, and he was shot by Taliban militants before the Taliban took over the country in 2021.

The BBC has seen a letter from a hospital in Pennsylvania assessing "evidence of wounds from bullets and shrapnel" which they say "is consistent with his account of what happened in Kabul." To make matters worse, he says his family is also in danger because his father was a colonel in the Afghan army and assisted the CIA. The BBC has seen a certificate from the Afghan National Security Forces thanking his father for his contributions. Ahmad says the Taliban government harassed his parents and siblings, so they fled to Pakistan. The BBC has seen photos showing Ahmad's father and brother being treated in hospital for injuries, which he claims were inflicted by the Taliban government. His family has completed several steps of the resettlement program. He says he even provided proof that he has enough funds to support his family once they arrive in the US, without any government assistance.

Now, Ahmad says the situation is critical. His family is in Pakistan with visas that will expire in a few months. He contacted the International Organization for Migration and was told to "wait patiently." The head of a non-profit called #AfghanEvac, which is helping eligible Afghan refugees resettle, estimates that 10,000-15,000 people are in the final stages of their applications. Mina is pregnant and has been waiting for a flight in Islamabad for six months. She fears her anxiety will threaten her unborn child. "If I lose my child, I will kill myself," she told the BBC. She says that even after the Taliban government took control of Afghanistan, she protested for women's rights. She claims she was arrested and detained overnight in 2023. "Even then, I didn't want to leave Afghanistan. I hid after being released, but they called me and said next time they would kill me," she said.

Mina is worried that the Pakistani government will send her back to Afghanistan. This is partly because Pakistan will not grant asylum to Afghan refugees indefinitely. The country has taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries over the past few decades due to instability in the region. According to the UN Refugee Agency, the country hosts 3 million Afghan nationals, about 1.4 million of whom are documented. As cross-border tensions with the Taliban government increase, there are growing concerns about the fate of Afghans in Pakistan, with reports of intimidation and detention. A UN special rapporteur said he was concerned and that Afghans in the region deserved better treatment. The Pakistani government says it is deporting foreign nationals illegally staying in the country back to Afghanistan and confirmed a search operation in January. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 795,000 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan since September 2023.

The Afghan refugees we interviewed feel trapped between a homeland where their lives are threatened and a host country that is running out of patience. They had pinned their hopes on the United States—but this seemingly safe haven has been abruptly closed by the new President until further notice.