Democrats urge resumption of Afghan refugee resettlement to US
A group of prominent Democratic figures in the U.S. Congress has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to resume the Afghan refugee resettlement program and continue providing services to Afghan refugees already in the country.
On his first day in office, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program and foreign aid. This move left thousands of Afghan collaborators awaiting decisions on their applications, stranded in countries like Pakistan and Albania.
Additionally, the suspension affected federal services, including financial and food assistance, for Afghan refugees already in the U.S., with many left uncertain about their future.
Members of the Democratic Party in the Judiciary Committees of the House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to Marco Rubio, urging him to use his influence to lift the suspension of the Afghan resettlement services.
The Democratic lawmakers argued that these services were essential for the refugees’ well-being in the U.S., stressing that this assistance was different from foreign aid as it was provided to people already in the country.
The lawmakers pointed out that 32,000 Afghan refugees scheduled to be resettled in the U.S. by 2025 still qualify for government support, which would be affected by the suspension of the program.
The Democratic representatives expressed concern that the suspension of support would violate legal commitments made by the State Department under agreements with resettlement organizations in the U.S.
They also warned that the suspension would put Afghan refugees at risk of homelessness and food insecurity, as they rely on the support for basic living needs.
The Trump administration had scrutinized all loans and federal assistance to domestic agencies, including refugee resettlement organizations. They cited security concerns as one of the reasons for temporarily halting the relocation of Afghan collaborators, claiming that proper security checks had not been conducted.
The administration pointed to an incident involving Nasir Ahmad Tawidi, who was arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly plotting a terrorist conspiracy. This raised concerns about the vetting process and led to further restrictions on the Afghan refugee relocation program.
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