US policy change leaves Afghan refugees stuck in Pakistan

DW (English)

Thousands of Afghan refugees, including former military collaborators, judges, and human rights activists who fled the Taliban's 2021 takeover of Afghanistan are in limbo after recent policy changes in the US and Pakistan. Refugees tell DW how this is affecting them and why they are terrified of being forced to return to Afghanistan.

Transcript

00:00After six months of work, we were very hopeful because we found the email of the documents.

00:09It was very close to our flight.

00:12But Mr. Trump announced his decision to cancel the whole process.

00:21Because of this, we were completely disappointed.

00:24And now we are in a very hopeless situation.

00:30Sangre is among the some 20,000 Afghans in Pakistan caught in limbo between the Trump

00:35administration's suspension of resettlement programs and Pakistan's repatriation policies.

00:43This group fled the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021.

00:48They were deemed at risk in their own country, having worked with the US government, military

00:53or NATO forces there.

00:55This group included judges as well as human rights activists.

00:59For over three years, they have been looking to be resettled in the US via its refugee

01:04admissions program or the special immigration visa.

01:08But these programs have been suspended for at least three months from 28 January 2025

01:14via recent executive orders issued by US President Donald Trump.

01:19Meanwhile, the group are now under pressure to leave their host country, Pakistan.

01:25We are deprived of everything.

01:27We cannot return to our country.

01:30Our lives are in danger.

01:33We cannot live in peace.

01:36The feeling that you cannot live in peace and your future is unknown is a very bad feeling.

01:46Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on February 3 announced plans for a new round

01:51of mass deportations, targeting some 3 million Afghans, both documented and undocumented,

01:58in the country.

01:59While the repatriations will take place in several rounds, approximately 1 million Afghans

02:05with legal refugee status have only been permitted to remain in the country until the end of

02:11June 2025.

02:13And March 31 has been set as a deadline to expel Afghan refugees from the capital Islamabad

02:20and the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

02:23This has left those Afghans who worked for the US fearing for their lives and those in

02:28Pakistan dread the possibility of being killed if forced to return.

02:33I received a phone call saying that you are not where you are supposed to be and that

02:40you are working for someone else.

02:44I did not tell them my address.

02:47My daughters were also deported.

02:49They did not have a place for us.

02:51We came back to Pakistan.

02:53In November 2023, Pakistan launched a crackdown on undocumented migrants.

02:59This was largely aimed at the millions of Afghans in the country.

03:03Since then, some 800,000 have been repatriated to Afghanistan.

03:09UN agencies have expressed concerns for groups such as women and girls, as well as human

03:15rights activists who are forced to return to Afghanistan.

03:19Meanwhile, for the Afghans who have already waited some three-and-a-half years to be resettled

03:25in the US, their situation feels desperate.

03:30My request to the people of the United States is that the human rights activists,

03:36the leaders of Congress, stand with these refugees and defend their rights.

03:45This is their human right.

03:47They have to defend their rights.

03:49This crackdown has been going on for three months.

03:55I would like them to cancel it.

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