That is the assessment of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, which on Wednesday called Trump’s executive order an “unconscionable betrayal.”
“It shatters a sacred promise to Afghan allies who risked everything to support U.S. military and diplomatic missions,” the Burlington-based nonprofit said in a press release.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have resettled in the U.S. since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from their home country in August 2021. An estimated 600 Afghans now live in Vermont. But many others remain in hiding in Afghanistan or in neighboring Pakistan, holding on to hopes of eventually making their way to America.
Trump — who as president has broad authority to decide how many refugees are admitted to the U.S. each year — dramatically reduced admissions during his first term and vowed to do the same upon taking office a second time.
Groups that support Afghan refugees had lobbied for them to be exempt from any pause of resettlement efforts in recognition of their work to support the 20-year U.S. war. But Trump ignored their requests.
On Monday, he signed an executive order that suspends refugee admissions starting January 27. The order states that Trump will review the matter again in three months to determine whether further refugee resettlement “aligns with the interests of the United States.”
The State Department notified resettlement agencies on Wednesday that the suspension applies even to those who were already vetted and approved to come to the U.S.
Among those impacted are family members of a staffer at the Vermont Afghan Alliance who were in the final stages of the resettlement process, said the nonprofit’s executive director, Molly Gray.
In a phone call, she called Trump’s order a “family separation policy.”
“It is cruel beyond measure,” she said.
Resettlement groups are now anxiously waiting to see the response from Pakistan, where nearly 1.5 million Afghans have landed since August 2021.
The country has already forced about 800,000 Afghans to return to their country but has largely spared those who are waiting to be resettled in the U.S. and elsewhere, according to the Washington Post.
Pakistani authorities are growing impatient, however, and there is fear that the deportations will accelerate.
Back stateside, meanwhile, Afghan men who have been separated from their families for years had already been losing hope that the U.S. would ever fulfill its promise to reunite them. Some living in Vermont have told immigration attorneys that they are considering returning to their home country, despite the risk of persecution or death from the Taliban, because it would at least allow them to see their wives and children again, Seven Days previously reported.
Advocates worry Trump’s order will deepen their desperation.
“How long can we expect people to live in limbo?” Gray asked.
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