President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing refugee programs could impact thousands of Afghans approved to resettle as refugees in the United States, according to one major advocacy organization.
That includes family members of U.S. service members and Afghans who served alongside the U.S. military in partner forces, as well as others “who in one way or another are connected to the U.S. mission and are at risk through their association with us,” Shawn VanDiver, the president of #AfghanEvac, a coalition working to bring Afghans safely out of Afghanistan, told ABC News.
“We have a commitment there,” he said. “Our national security promises can’t be conditional based on who is in the Oval Office.”
VanDiver confirmed a Reuters report that nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared to resettle in the U.S. could have their flights canceled. As of Tuesday, the flights have not been canceled as the administration works through the order, which takes effect on Jan. 27.
The program will be suspended for at least 90 days, according to the order, after which the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will submit a report to the president on whether restarting the program “would be in the interests of the United States.”
If it is suspended indefinitely, it could wind up affecting as many as 30,000 to 40,000 Afghans currently in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar, some of whom could face reprisals from the Taliban for cooperating with American forces, VanDiver said.
America’s “bilateral relationships are at risk here,” he said. “Our partners need to be able to trust our word.”
ABC News spoke to half a dozen senators Tuesday about the status of Afghan refugees. Several Republicans — including Trump allies like Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota — are in favor of clarifying the order to make sure that thousands of Afghans who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan aren’t left in limbo.
“I’d like to get them back here if there associated with helping our cause,” Graham told ABC News.
“I hope they can work through that. The botched withdrawal from Afghanistan was traumatic enough,” Cramer said. “One of the reasons was that it left behind so many of our allies.”
The White House, State Department and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to ABC News’ questions about the order and its impact on vetted Afghan refugees.
“I can’t imagine that their intention was to include interpreters and allies in Afghanistan who helped us, and we left them behind,” Cramer said, adding that veterans groups have expressed concern to him about the status of Afghans under the new executive order.
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