‘Going Back Means Death’: Fate of Afghans Promised US Resettlement Hangs In The Balance

Last Updated:July 23, 2025, 17:52 IST

Afghans who assisted US troops in their 2-decade presence in Afghanistan were promised a resettlement in the United States for a better life, however, their future hangs in limbo.

Afghans promised US resettlement fear repatriation (AFP Image)

The lives of over 250,000 Afghans who worked with the US forces in Afghanistan and were promised resettlement in the United States hang in limbo as the Trump administration is rolling back programmes that were created to assist them, according to a report.

Those Afghans live in fear that if they are sent back to Afghanistan, they could face retribution from the ruling Taliban, The Washington Post reported.

Such repatriation efforts have already been set in motion in the United Arab Emirates, according to cables obtained by the US media outlet.

The Afghans who are living in fear include a woman whose husband the Taliban regime assassinated after he was found fighting alongside the US military, a man who worked with NATO in Afghanistan and then went on to spend around a year like a “prisoner" in Qatar, among thousands of others waiting in Afghanistan and 90 other countries.

They were promised the possibility of a new life in the US after they worked with the US forces.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the US has stopped processing refugees and cut government funding for Afghan flights through two executive orders. Officials said that this month, the State Department also laid off staff and shut down the office that helped Afghans move to the US.

Moving back to Afghanistan “would be my own death sentence", one Afghan in the UAE said, The Washington Post reported. “I am not insisting that I must be taken to the United States. My only wish is, please do not hand me over to my executioners," he said on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation from the Taliban.

An official described internal deliberations and said, “Wherever they end up, they end up. They are now another country’s problem."

The White House denied that the Trump administration does not care about the fate of such Afghans who helped the US military. Trump said on Truth Social over the weekend that he would “try to save" Afghans who are facing repatriation in the UAE.

A senior administration official, who spoke anonymously about internal decisions, said the changes to how Afghan refugees are handled are meant to make sure the US only takes in people the government considers truly deserving. The official added that the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program is still processing about 900 cases each week.

SIVs are designed to help Afghans who faced serious danger because they worked with the US. As of May 20, around 167,000 of the more than 250,000 Afghans eligible for resettlement were SIV applicants, the report said, citing a document.

During the 20 years of US military’s presence in Afghanistan, American troops depended heavily on Afghan locals who worked as interpreters, soldiers, doctors, and civil society workers, among other roles. In 2006, the US created a legal way for these Afghans to move to America to lead a better and safer life.

Since the Taliban retook full control in 2021, nearly 195,000 Afghans have been resettled in the US, according to Jessica Bradley Rushing, who was recently laid off as deputy director for communications and engagement at the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE).

When Trump retuned to office on January 20, 2025, over 250,000 Afghans across 90 countries were eligible for resettlement in the US, Rushing said. According to a State Department report dated May 20, the exact number stands at 269,124.

The State Department did not respond when asked if it had approved deportations from the UAE to Afghanistan, The Washington Post reported.

The Taliban has, however, said that it welcomes the return of Afghans who are no longer eligible to stay abroad.

Ashesh Mallick

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...Read More

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...

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News world ‘Going Back Means Death’: Fate of Afghans Promised US Resettlement Hangs In The Balance