The people involved worked with the United States in Afghanistan and had already received approval for resettlement. The programme, which grants a Special Immigrant Visa, was established in and covers the family members of selected people. The day before Trump's inauguration, Afghans made it in time to leave the Philippines, where they had been moved for final paperwork. Washington, D. AsiaNews β The flights of about 1, Afghans who had already received approval for transfer to the United States were cancelled yesterday and today following President Donald Trump's decision to suspend refugee resettlement programmes for at least four months.
The people involved include unaccompanied minors awaiting family reunification and Afghan nationals who fear Taliban retribution for working with the US military, said Shawn VanDiver , founder of a veterans' group dedicated to working with the US government to evacuate Afghans.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the change in policy, explaining that the names of those already authorised for resettlement were removed from the passenger lists of a series of flights scheduled until April, including people who had obtained US citizenship after joining the US military. On Sunday, a day before Trump's inauguration, nearly Afghans who had received regular visas from the US embassy in the Philippines managed to reach the United States , as part of an agreement signed in August between Washington and Manila to expedite the procedures for the Special Immigrant Visa SIV.
This programme was established in "to resettle Afghans who had worked on behalf of the United States" for at least one year starting in , which can also be made available to family members of the selected people. According to Kanishka Gangopadhyay, spokesman for the US embassy in the Philippines, 60 per cent of the Afghans who left Manila in recent days were underage. After US withdrawal from Kabul in , the Biden administration welcomed almost , Afghans , but thousands of refugees remain stranded in countries in the region, including Pakistan.
In addition, Pakistan launched a repatriation programme in October for undocumented Afghans, which also affected legal refugees. According to the International Organisation for Migration, at least , Afghans have returned from Pakistan despite the risks associated with the Taliban regime. Thousands of more Afghans found refuge in Iran, where they face discrimination and legal obstacles. Two days ago, the Norwegian Refugee Council reported the forced repatriation of 3, Afghans in a single day.
