U.S. Afghans Commemorate Taliban's Seizure of Kabul amidst Trump's Immigration Clampdown
In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Kabul on August 15, 2021, thousands of Afghans were evacuated to the United States. However, the temporary legal status they currently hold offers no direct path to permanent residency, leaving many in limbo.
Most evacuated Afghans have been granted humanitarian parole, a temporary status that allows them to live and work legally in the US. Yet, this status is set to expire soon, adding to the uncertainty.
The proposed Afghan Adjustment Act, a bipartisan legislation, aims to address this issue. If enacted, it would create a conditional pathway to permanent residency for those admitted after July 30, 2021. The Act also proposes an Interagency Task Force to improve resettlement efforts and congressional oversight of related visa processes.
Despite the proposed legislation, Afghans like Hanifa Girowal, an Afghan human rights worker, continue to face legal limbo. Girowal, who fled Afghanistan on a US evacuation flight four years ago, recalls a mad dash amid a crush of bodies at the crowded Kabul International Airport during the evacuation. After a week of hiding, a flight to Qatar, then Germany, and finally, the US state of Virginia, Girowal has been trying to begin a new life from the fragments of the old. However, the struggle has been heightened since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20.
Girowal has an approved asylum case, but she is fearful that she can be subjected to deportation at any time due to uncertainties about future immigration policies. The special status for Afghans who entered the US via the CBP One app has been terminated, potentially affecting thousands.
Trump's immigration enforcement approach targeted not only those without criminal histories for deportations but also permanently resident immigrants for their political advocacy. The administration ended "temporary protected status" (TPS) for Afghans already in the country at the time of the Taliban takeover, arguing the country showed "an improved security situation" and "stabilising economy", a claim contradicted by several human rights reports.
The Trump administration added Afghanistan to a new travel ban list, restricting visas for Afghans, saying such admissions broadly run counter to US "foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism". The special P1 and P2 programme created for Afghan refugees appears to have been halted under Trump.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not publicly released data on how many evacuated Afghans remain in the US on humanitarian parole. Meanwhile, Germany has begun deporting Afghans back to Afghanistan, despite not recognizing or maintaining diplomatic ties with the Taliban government.
As the Afghan Adjustment Act awaits enactment, the future of evacuated Afghans in the US remains uncertain. Advocacy and congressional initiatives continue addressing these challenges, offering hope for a clearer pathway to citizenship for these individuals.
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- The temporary legal status granted to evacuated Afghans in the US offers no direct path to permanent residency, leaving many in limbo, especially since the special status for Afghans who entered the US via the CBP One app has been terminated.
- Despite the proposed Afghan Adjustment Act, Afghans like Hanifa Girowal continue to face legal limbo, fearful of potential deportation due to uncertainties about future immigration policies.
- The Trump administration's immigration enforcement approach targeted not only those without criminal histories for deportations but also permanently resident immigrants for their political advocacy.
- The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not publicly released data on how many evacuated Afghans remain in the US on humanitarian parole, whereas Germany has begun deporting Afghans back to Afghanistan, despite not recognizing or maintaining diplomatic ties with the Taliban government.
- As the Afghan Adjustment Act awaits enactment, the future of evacuated Afghans in the US remains uncertain, with advocacy and congressional initiatives continuing to address these challenges, offering hope for a clearer pathway to citizenship for these individuals.
