Wed Jan 22 13:07:42 UTC 2025: ## Trump’s Refugee Suspension Leaves Thousands of Afghans in Limbo
**Islamabad, January 23, 2025** – Thousands of Afghans who fled the Taliban are pleading with President Donald Trump to overturn his administration’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP). The three-month suspension, effective January 27th, has left an estimated 15,000 Afghans awaiting resettlement in the U.S. in a precarious situation.
These Afghans, who worked with U.S. forces, media, aid organizations, and human rights groups, now face threats in Afghanistan and increasingly unstable conditions in neighboring Pakistan. Many risked their lives assisting the U.S. during the 20-year war and fear arrest, torture, or death if forced to return.
“The Taliban regards us as traitors,” stated an open letter from the advocacy group Afghan USRAP Refugees, addressed to President Trump and other officials. The letter highlights the urgent need for the suspension to be lifted, citing the dangerous conditions in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, where arbitrary arrests and deportations are commonplace.
One such Afghan, Hadisa Bibi, a former Kabul university student and women’s rights advocate now residing in Pakistan, expressed her fear and desperation. The suspension of the program, she said, dashed her hopes for a safer future and the continuation of her education. She described living in constant fear after witnessing fellow Afghans arrested by Pakistani police.
The Afghan USRAP Refugees group reports that many Afghans had flights scheduled to the U.S. in January, February, and March, following interviews and medical examinations. The group is urging a reversal of the ban on humanitarian grounds. The White House has stated that a report will be submitted to the President within the three-month suspension period to determine whether resuming the program aligns with U.S. interests.
First Piper 