Thousands of Afghans who helped the US lose access to critical resources following Trump directives

Thousands of Afghans who worked directly for or on behalf of the US government in Afghanistan have been cut off from critical resources and face huge uncertainty over whether they’ll be able to travel to the United States following moves by the Trump administration to halt foreign aid and bar federally funded help according to multiple sources.

Thousands of Afghans who worked directly for or on behalf of the US government in Afghanistan have been cut off from critical resources and face huge uncertainty over whether they’ll be able to travel to the United States following moves by the Trump administration to halt foreign aid and bar federally funded help according to multiple sources. Last week, the Trump administration halted refugee flights across the globe, froze almost all foreign assistance, and cut off assistance for newly arrived refugees in the United States. These actions have had immediate repercussions for the thousands of Afghans who served alongside the US military. For those who are now in limbo in third countries like Qatar, the freeze means they have lost access to services and even goods like diapers and toiletries that were funded by the US government, sources told CNN. They added that the freeze on foreign assistance directly impacts the ability of Afghans who received special immigrant visas (SIVs) to travel to the US, including translators who worked for the US military, people who were on US bases or compounds, among others. While some can pay their own way to the United States, others rely on flights paid for by US assistance that is now frozen. Others who worked alongside the US and qualified for other kinds of refugee visas have also been impacted by the administration’s actions.