Afghan refugees feel “betrayed” by Trump’s order blocking their relocation to the United States

“It is as if the United States does not really understand what I did for this country, it is a betrayal,” Abdullah told the BBC.

He escaped from Afghanistan with his parents against the backdrop of the US withdrawal in August 2021 and is now a parachutist for the US Army. He worries that he cannot help his sister and her husband also escape because of President Donald Trump’s executive order, who has stopped the resettlement program.

The order revokes all flights and requests for Afghan refugees, without exception for families of active servicemen.

Trump claims that the decision is aimed at “record levels of migration” that threaten “having resources for Americans.”

But Abdullah and several other Afghan refugees told the BBC that they believe the United States have “turned their backs” despite years of work with US officials, troops and non -profit organizations in Afghanistan. We do not use their real names as they worry that this can threaten their deeds or put their families at risk.

As soon as Abdullah learned about the order, he called his sister. “She was crying, he lost all hope,” he said. He believes that his work has made her the target of the Taliban government, which took power in 2021.

“Anxiety, it’s just unimaginable. She thinks we’ll never be able to see each other again, “he says.

During the war, Abdullah said he was a translator for US powers. When he left Afghanistan, his sister and her husband could not receive passports on time to get on the flight.

Suhail Shahin, a spokesman for the Taliban government, told the BBC that there is an amnesty for anyone who has worked with international forces and all Afghans can “live in the country without any fear.” He claims that these refugees are “economic migrants”.

But the UN report of 2023 has questioned the Taliban Government’s assurances. He found that hundreds of former government officials and members of the Armed Forces were killed despite the general amnesty.

Abdullah’s sister and her husband have undergone medical examinations and interviews needed to move to the United States. The BBC saw a document from the US Department of Defense, which approves their application.

Now Abdullah says Trump’s insistence that immigration is too high does not justify his separation with his family. He describes sleepless nights and says that anxiety affects his work in his combat part, serving the United States.

Babak, a former legal advisor to Afghan Air Force, is still hiding in Afghanistan.

“They don’t just break their promise to us – they break us,” he says.

The BBC see letters from the UN confirming his role, as well as a letter supporting his request for asylum from a US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. Confirmation adds that he gave advice on strikes aimed at fighters related to both the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

Babak cannot understand the president’s decision, given that he worked with US troops. “We risk our lives because of these missions. We are in serious danger now, “he says.

He moves his wife and young son from place to place, desperately trying to stay hidden. He claims that his brother was tortured for his location. The BBC cannot check this part of its history given the nature of its claims.

Babak calls Trump and his national security advisor Mike Walz to change their minds.

“Mike Walz, you serve in Afghanistan. Please encourage the president, “he tells us.

Before he said goodbye, he adds, “The only ray of light we held was extinguished.”

Ahmad managed to fly to the United States amid the chaos of withdrawal, but is now separated from his family. He felt that he had no choice but to abandon his father, his mother and brothers and sisters.

If he and his father had not worked with the United States, he says, his family would not have been the target of the Taliban government. “I can’t sleep, knowing I’m one of the reasons for being in this situation,” he adds.

Before the Taliban seized power, Ahmad worked for a non -profit organization called Open Government Partnership (OGP), co -founded by the United States 13 years ago and headquartered in Washington. He says that the work he is most proud of is the creation of a special court to deal with the abuse of women.

But he claims that his work at OGP and his intercession for women made him a target and was shot dead by Taliban fighters in 2021 before the Taliban took over the country.

The BBC saw a letter from a hospital in Pennsylvania, which evaluates “evidence of bullet injuries and bullet fragments”, which they believe are “in accordance with his story about what happened to him in Kabul.”

In worsening things, he says his family is also in danger because his father was a colonel of the Afghan army and helped the CIA. The BBC saw a certificate provided by Afghan National Security Forces, which thanked his father for his service.

Ahmad says the Taliban government has harassed his parents, siblings so that they fled to Pakistan. The BBC see photos showing how Ahmad’s father and brother are being treated at a hospital for injuries, which he claims to have been inflicted by people from the Taliban government.

His family has completed several steps from the resettlement program. He says he has even provided evidence that he has sufficient funds to support his family after arriving in the United States without any state aid.

Now Ahmad says the situation is critical. His family is in Pakistan with visas that expire after months. He contacted Mom and was told to “have patience”.

The head of the #Afghanevac, a non-profit group that helps those who are eligible for Afghan refugees to reset, said that he said 10,000-15,000 people were in the late stages of their application.

Mine, who is pregnant, has been waiting for a flight from Islamabad for six months. She worries that her horror will threaten her unborn child. “If I lose my baby, I will commit suicide,” she told the BBC.

She says she protested the rights of women, even after the Taliban government took control of Afghanistan. She claims she was arrested in 2023 and detained overnight.

“Even then I didn’t want to leave Afghanistan. I hid after my release, but they called me and said they would kill me next time, “she says.

Mina is worried that the Pakistani government will send her back to Afghanistan. This is partly because Pakistan will not provide refuge to Afghan refugees for an indefinite time.

The country has received hundreds of thousands of refugees from its neighbor for decades of instability in the region. According to the UN Agency for Refugees, the country accepts three million Afghan citizens, about 1.4 million of which have been documented.

As the cross -border tension with the Taliban government has increased, concerns about the fate of Afghans in Pakistan with reports of alleged intimacy and detainees. The UN Special Rapporteur said he was concerned and that Afghans in the region deserve a better attitude.

The Pakistan government says it is expelled by foreign nationals who are illegal in the country, back to Afghanistan, and confirmed that shares were held in January.

According to Mom, more than 795,000 Afghans have been expelled from Pakistan since September last year.

The Afghan refugees we talked to feel caught between their country, where their lives are in danger, and a host country whose patience is exhausted.

They assigned their hopes to the United States, but what seemed to be a safe port was suddenly blocked by the new president until the second order.