Stranded Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Urge US to Resume Resettlement

DID Press: A group of Afghan refugees with P1/P2 cases awaiting resettlement in the United States has called on the Trump administration to immediately restart the resettlement program. Their appeal comes after Washington indefinitely suspended processing of all Afghan immigration cases following the fatal shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House.

In a statement shared with media outlets, the refugees said: “Our cases were fully completed and we were only waiting for flight dates, but on 20 January 2025 the program was suspended without any explanation.” They stressed that they have lived in Pakistan for more than three years under severe pressure and constant fear of arrest and deportation.

Condemning the attack in Washington, the statement warned that “the act of one individual should not result in the collective punishment of thousands of loyal U.S. allies.” The group said that if forcibly returned to Afghanistan, they would “quickly be identified and killed by the Taliban for having worked with the United States.”

The suspension comes as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over militant activity have escalated, prompting Pakistan to accelerate deportations of Afghans—an action that, according to the statement, includes “individuals with valid documents and official U.S. allies.” The refugees said that “even official letters from the U.S. Embassy do not prevent arrest and deportation.”

Meanwhile, the UN urged Pakistan to exempt vulnerable Afghans from its “illegal foreigner repatriation” plan, warning that more than one million Afghans returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan in 2025 alone— a trend that UNHCR representative Philippa Candler described as “deeply concerning under current conditions.”

“We are not criminals; we are allies who stood with the United States. Now we ask the United States to stand with us,” Afghan refugees concluded.