‘nefarious’ Trump Plan To Interview Afghan Immigrants Sparks Deportation Fears

Refugees and activists are alarmed astir a reported effort by nan national authorities to statesman interviewing hundreds of Afghans successful nan U.S., fearing delicate accusation gathered by migration officials will beryllium utilized to substance early deportations.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is reportedly seeking to question and reply astir 800 Afghans brought to nan U.S. for what nan agency called a “wellbeing initiative” focused connected assessing “common challenges” among Afghan refugees who whitethorn beryllium successful “vulnerable situations.”

The alleged effort, according to a July 14 email to ORR unit obtained by The Washington Post, includes asking respondents astir their identities, assimilation into American civilization and nan migration position of each personnel of their household. The questionnaire besides reportedly includes a announcement that answers are not anonymous and accusation shared pinch interviewers could beryllium retained for 15 years.

The study calls person apt already begun, 1 activistic group told The Independent.

The interviews whitethorn person started arsenic early arsenic this Thursday, according to Sean VanDiver, laminitis of nan defense group #AfghanEvac. It remains unclear really nan accusation would beryllium used, prompting interest among defense groups fixed nan susceptible position of Afghan immigrants successful nan U.S.

“There’s nary bully logic for them to beryllium doing this,” VanDiver told The Independent. “They don’t attraction astir nan use of Afghans. ... Everything that this management has done pinch them has been to origin harm, has been to propulsion them retired of nan country.”

 “This is simply a group that has seen astir each pathway closed to them, and holds dwindling dream for reuniting pinch their families,” Beth Oppenheim, CEO of nan exile defense group HIAS, told The Independent successful a statement.

“Every infinitesimal for them is fraught pinch uncertainty, and nan imaginable for moreover much fearfulness arsenic a result,” she added. “We want everyone we invited into this state to consciousness safe, and we request to retrieve nan distrust that closed doors and blocked pathways create for group erstwhile we inquire them to beryllium susceptible again and again.”

VanDiver added that he has been proceeding from sources wrong nan management that nan question and reply programme has “nefarious” intentions.

ORR, which operates nether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “is strengthening its efforts to guarantee that nan populations it serves person nan services funded by American taxpayers,” nan Administration for Children and Families told The Independent in a statement.

“The agency is actively conducting outreach to link eligible individuals pinch ORR-funded services and will proceed those efforts for nan long of their eligibility,” nan agency said.

The agency added that ORR “works intimately pinch its national rule enforcement partners” and is required by rule to stock accusation “regarding individuals progressive successful suspected criminal activity.”

The Independent has contacted nan Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Advocates person many times voiced interest astir Donald Trump’s grounds towards Afghans truthful far.

Over nan past year-and-a-half, nan management has frozen exile resettlement from astir countries, stripped Afghan refugees successful nan U.S. of emergency protected status, paused caller visas for Afghans and banned travel from Afghanistan to nan U.S.

The White House has besides left much than 1,000 group successful limbo astatine a exile halfway successful Qatar. The group was primitively taken location nether nan Biden management aft nan autumn of Kabul successful 2021 arsenic portion of his effort to resettle Afghans who collaborated pinch U.S. forces.

The management has floated a scheme to nonstop nan group location to nan Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Kinshasa won’t termination him connected Day One, but nan State Department knows there’s nary organization for him there, nary ineligible status, and nary existent protection for him aliases for nan children walking pinch these families,” retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Sean Jamshid, whose relative was being held astatine nan center, told reporters successful April. “They cognize they are offering him an action they cognize will beryllium refused, conscionable truthful they tin opportunity they tried. This is not a existent choice. This is not policy. This is theater.”

Advocates person besides accused nan Trump management of mistreating those already successful detention.

In March, Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, who fought alongside U.S typical forces, died wrong 1 time of entering Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. The decease was caused by an adverse supplier guidance to an unidentified substance, according to his decease certificate.

“We do not understand. What benignant of mishap takes a patient 41-year-old man who was successful nan attraction of nan United States government? We person truthful galore questions, and almost nary answers,” his family said successful a connection aft nan death. “Nazeer was a person. He was loved. He still is. He deserved much than a azygous word.”

Late past year, reports emerged that nan Trump management was readying to re-interview and perchance revoke nan position of hundreds of thousands of refugees admitted to nan U.S. during nan Biden administration.

A November memo signed by Joseph Edlow, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, orders nan agency to reappraisal and re-interview each of nan astir 233,000 refugees who were admitted to nan state betwixt January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025, and blocks processing of greenish paper applications from refugees admitted during that clip period.