Washington DC -When Ruqia Balkhi arrived in the United States in September 2023, she was greeted by the federal government, which helped to start a new life, was greeted by a three -country settlement agency.
55 -year -old engineer Balkki was one of thousands of Afghanistan who worked with the US military during his two -year intervention in his home country.
However, after the collapse of the United States supported in 2021, it was not safe to stay in Afghanistan under the guidance of Taliban.
So she left for the United States. For the first 90 days in Japan, Valuki received temporary housing, language lessons, basic products, mental health support, and guidance to register a 15 -year -old son in a local school in Virginia. 。
However, when her husband, Mohamed Aleph Mangal, arrived under the same visa program in January, those services were suddenly stopped. President Donald Trump was just launched, and the United States had strictly restricted the federal funding and immigrants.
“I was completely opposed to my husband,” said Balkki about the situation he faced.
The supporters say that the story of her family indicates how Trump’s extensive presidential orders can affect even in the field of support for the bipartisan.
Veteran organizations have been mainly supporting the United States or the US support government, and have been working hard to secure Afghanistan citizens in the United States.
However, on the first day of Trump’s second term, the government paused the US refugee enrollment program (USRAP), leaving the already approved Afghanistan applicant.
Another presidential decree has stopped foreign aid. It interrupted a special immigrant visa (SIV) program for Afghanistan who cooperated with the US military, like Valuki and her husband.
Balkki explained that her husband was more fortunate, given that he had already established a family in the United States. However, she expressed suffering to people who enter the country without the same support system she received.
“I don’t think we couldn’t survive without the help of the third -country settlement agency,” she told Dali’s Al Jazira and spoke through a translator provided by the capital Lutel Social Service.
Some critics consider this problem as a test of durable Trump’s hard -stiff policies when their complete impact has been revealed.
“My demand from the new government is that they don’t forget the commitment of Afghanistan allies and Afghanistan immigrants,” said Balky.
Early “wrong”?
The promise of Trump’s campaign did not secretly desire to review the US immigration system in order to dodge what he accused him of his immigration.
However, his criticism of the withdrawal of the United States, which was a mixed OTIC from Afghanistan in 2021, caused hope among those who advocate services for Afghanistan involved in the US military.
“President Trump has exerted many things related to Afghanistan, especially how bad the withdrawal is,” said Sean Vandibur, the founder of the organization #Afghanevac that supports Afghanistan’s third country.
“So I don’t believe he will do it, and I don’t try to help our allies. I hope this is a mistake.”
With the latest bidding for re -election, Trump repeatedly expressed sympathy to those who were involved in the withdrawal of the army in August 2021, and during that time the life of 13 US services and 170 Afghanistan. I insisted.
Trump also exploded by supervising the case of a former President of Joe Biden “Afghanistan’s disaster.” On January 19, the day before his inauguration, Trump pointed out the tomb of three soldiers who died during the withdrawal.
Vandiver said that Trump’s actions from here were important. If his administration changed a course related to Afghanistan’s third country settlement, Vandibur would regard it as a sign of hope.
“But if they don’t change anything, they can be left to conclude that they might have been doing it.”
Trump’s order has not stopped directly under the SIV, but they have pipelines for those who are seeking relief under the program, so the federal government has been operated. Masu.
Earlier this month, 10 national organizations, which rely on the federal government to provide a “reception and placement service”, were ordered to stop working immediately, and no more expenses were incurred.
Foreign aid of the State Department broke the service for people waiting abroad in places like Qatar and Albania.
The most important thing is Trump’s order reducing funds for relocation operated by the International Immigration Organization (IOM). Most SIV recipients have reached the United States, relying on their transportation.
“The closure of these services is not just an inconvenience,” said Vandiver, pointing out the delicate living conditions of many Afghanistaners who are looking for safety. “It could be a death sentence for some of the most vulnerable evacuees.”
Refugee suspension
However, the SIV program is not the only program hindered by Trump’s new orders.
The retirement of refugees is also stopped in the same way. Under the previous US administration, Afghanistan, who faced persecution from Taliban, was able to apply for relocation in a special refugee category.
The P1 category was made for Afghanistan, which was introduced by the US Embassy, but P2 was for the US, US government, or for those who cooperated with non -profit organizations based in the United States. It was available. The third category has already allowed family unification for people with the parent Relative in the United States.
All of these routes are closed in a wider stagnation of the US refugee program.
Kim staff, an executive director of the Alliance Association during the war, stated that individuals seeking evacuation through these programs should pay the same urgent precautions as the SIV recipients.
“There are many people who helped us. They worked for the same goal as being very dangerous, but they have such severe requirements. I don’t have SIV qualification, “said the staff.
She added that, given the support of the bipartisan of them, she hoped that the Trump administration had more into considering Afghanistan refugees.
“I was looking forward to some issues. What we did not expect was a stroke of these widespread pauses and pausing the necessary programs,” she said. I talked.
“I feel like it didn’t take time to think that I didn’t have any knowledge or the effect of the downstream was overall.”
Veteran support
Opinion polls have repeatedly shown a wide range of support for the Afghanistan, who supported the U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan.
For example, in September 2021, a poll from NPR and research company IPSOS suggested that two -thirds of US respondents support relocation and far exceeded the support of other groups seeking evacuation. I suggested that there was.
Since then, its high level approval has been going on for many years. A poll from Honor Advocacy Group in October 2023 revealed that 80 % of the respondents had continuous support for Afghanistan’s third country.
US military veterans are at the forefront of relocation. The population statistics are diverse, but usually distorted conservative things. According to the Pew Research Center, about 61 % of the 2024 election supported Trump.
Sivocacy Group, nobody left, and Andrew Sullivan, the head of government issues, described this support as “a matter of national honor and national security.”
“It’s certainly a matter of a veteran, and it was a bipartisan issue,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan, a veteran of the Afghanistan War, cooperated closely with Afghanistan’s interpreter when he was an army infantry. The interpreter -Sullivan identified only with the name Ahmadi -then moved to the United States through the SIV program.
Sullivan stated that his optimistic Trump would ultimately create a “sculpture” for Afghanistan, pointing out a number of veterans from Afghanistan’s conflict in the Republican government.
Former Representative Mike Waltz, one of their veterans, has since become a Trump White House National Security Advisor since then. Waltz had previously put pressure on the former President Biden to “bring Afghanistan allies back home.”
Sullivan explained that he was involved with Waltz repeatedly on this problem, and he left his hope.
“He understands how meaningless they are at that personal, internal organs. [veterans]Sullivan said. “So I know he gets it.”
“Suspension of sliced voice”
But other supporters don’t expect much. James Powers, the grassroots of Ohio, focusing on the issue of a veteran, pointed out the role of Steven Miller, a hard -line immigrant in the new administration.
Miller worked for Trump’s first administration when Siv processing was slow to trickle.
“It’s just reasonable [the programme] As soon as he returns to power to affect the current president, he will come to stop the shouting, “Powers said.
The supporters were also worried that long -standing work to grow the current system was at risk.
Last year, the parliament passed the law with superimposed support that created a special office to adjust and rationalize SIV.
For the past four years, the Biden administration has also expanded the processing of both SIV and other Afghanistan refugees. The Biden government issued 33,341 SIVs in FY2024. This is the twice as the first all -year fiscal year after the withdrawal, twice as much as issued in 2022.
The hospitalization of Afghanistan refugees increased from 1,618 in 2022 to 14,708 in 2024.
More than 200,000 Afghanistan have been transferred to the United States since the withdrawal, and tens of thousands of people flew immediately on evacuation flights.
“They have to do a better job,” Powers said about the Trump administration. “On both sides of the aisle, there are fairy experts who say that all ideology spectrums have a better way.”
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