‘Do not abandon us’: Afghan refugees brace for fallout from US immigration halt

• US issues immigration pause for Afghanistan after Afghan man held over shooting of 2 National Guard members
• Many Afghans have been counting on US relocation following Taliban’s return to power in 2021

KABUL: Afghan refugees are bracing for the fallout after the US suspended all immigration applications from Afghanistan following a shooting in Washington that US officials said was carried out by an Afghan man.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees US immigration, announced on Thursday morning that it “stopped indefinitely” the processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, hours after two US National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington.

In a statement, the US Department of Homeland Security described the incident as a “terror attack,” and identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, “a criminal alien” from Afghanistan.

Officials said the suspect entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic withdrawal from the country.

US President Donald Trump has also called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the previous Biden administration program.

“This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred, and an act of terror; it was a crime against our entire nation … This attack underscores the single greatest nat security threat facing our nation,” Trump said in a video message on social media.

The new policy, which comes after Trump imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan and 11 other countries earlier this year, leaves tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in a state of indefinite waiting. Many were counting on US relocation following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Among them is Ejaz, who served in the Afghan Air Force with NATO before the Taliban took over the country. He moved to Pakistan not long after to apply for a US visa and eventually relocate, only to find himself still waiting four years later.

“We have no future here (in Pakistan). Our only hope was to reach America. As a former soldier, I cannot go back. If I return, I will be targeted and killed by the Taliban. There is no way back for me,” he told Arab News.

“The decision from the US (immigration) is not fair. We want a change. We are sad, we are nervous. I beg them to check our cases carefully. If there is someone who is not right, that is fine, but do not punish the rest of us … Do not abandon us. Our situation is not good; it is desperate."

Obaidullah Baheer, who teaches political science at the American University of Afghanistan, called the immigration pause for Afghans a “collective punishment.”

“This … violates the basic principle of justice of not blaming all because that implies blaming none. This is a tragic incident, but Afghans do not need to apologize for it because this was the action of a disturbed person who does not represent a whole nation,” he said.

Sahar, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan whose name has been changed for her safety, said she has been living in hiding, as the situation grows increasingly grim for her family.

“I am a mother of five, teaching my children to be quiet in the shadows. We are on a list for evacuation, but now we are also on a list for deportation. The world is closing in on us, and there is no escape route left,” she told Arab News.

Pakistan was home to about 4 million Afghans until 2023, but has been deporting scores of Afghans this year, as relations between the neighboring countries continues to deteriorate over deadly border clashes.

"Our only hope was America — the promise of safety and the chance to continue our education. That hope was a lifeline. Now, that lifeline has been cut, and we are falling into an abyss,” Sahar said.

“I beg the American government to rethink this. You asked us to stand for modernity and human rights. We did. Now, in our darkest hour, we are being left behind. Saving us is not just a policy decision; it is a moral duty … Do not punish us for a crime we did not commit.”