By Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s pause has forced a suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans admitted on special U.S. visas and the risk of retaliation from Taliban, a top lawyer and a U.S. official said on Saturday , a US official.
The pause was triggered by Trump’s order to halt foreign development aid for 90 days pending a review of its effectiveness and consistency with his “America First” policy.
Experts and advocacy groups say the pause on foreign aid has wreaked havoc on the U.S. and international relief effort, halting nutrition, health, vaccination and other programs.
The order also triggered a suspension of the state Department of Funds for groups
Trump promised an immigration crackdown during his victorious 2024 re-election campaign.
Shawn Vandiver, head of #afghanevac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups working with the U.S. government to evacuate and resettle these SIV holders, said he did not believe the flight suspension was intentional.
“We think it was a mistake,” Vandiver said.
He said he hoped the administration would allow the warrants approved for SIVs without exception because she worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war that ended in Afghanistan in August 2021.
“They fought next to us. They bled next to us,” said Vandiver, who noted that tens of thousands of other Afghans are waiting for SIV applications to be processed.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reports from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan say the Taliban have detained, tortured and killed former soldiers and officials of the previous U.S.-backed government. The Taliban issued a general amnesty for former troops and government officials and denied the allegations.
The flight suspension has stranded more than 40,000 Afghans, including SIV holders, who were waiting to fly to the U.S. from visa processing centers in Qatar and Albania, said Vandiver and the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
That number also includes Afghans approved for SIVs who have been waiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan to board flights sponsored by U.S. processing centers to receive their visas, they said.
Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States or as refugees since the chaotic 2021 withdrawal in the United States.
In a separate executive order signed hours after his inauguration on Monday, Trump suspended all U.S. refugee resettlement programs.
This order resulted in hundreds of Afghan refugees losing their seats on flights, including family members of Afghan American military personnel, former Afghan soldiers and unaccompanied children.
