Afghan Refugees Are Stuck in Limbo After Executive Order

Hamida established health clinics for women in rural areas and created a network of midwives. Mohammad was responsible for guarding detainees for the U.S. Army. Hekmatullah’s brother participated in U.S. government projects. Suhrab’s father was a prominent judge who dealt with sensitive cases. Kheyal trained fieldworkers for an international aid organization. All of them fled Afghanistan with their families to Pakistan after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. They navigated the lengthy process of legally entering the United States as refugees, with some even possessing tickets for flights to America.

Now, however, they find themselves in limbo.

One of President Donald Trump’s first actions upon taking office was to halt the Refugee Admissions Program for 90 days. This suspension effectively ceased all processing of paperwork for those fleeing persecution to the U.S. A refugee agency reported to TIME that over 500 flights for more than 1,000 vetted refugees from the region were canceled.

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Shortly after the Executive Order was enacted, the Pakistani government, which is home to approximately 1.5 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers (many of whom fled during the Soviet occupation), declared that Afghan residents unable to secure a new country had to vacate Rawalpindi and Islamabad—the cities where most reside due to their access to the internet and aid offices—by March 31. After this date, they would face repatriation.

Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, a coalition of veterans and support groups, stated that around 15,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan had been approved to travel. They are currently caught in a perilous standstill, unable to move forward or back. Their cases will remain stagnant until at least April 25, and possibly indefinitely. Beyond March 31, they will face increased hostility in Pakistan, while returning to Afghanistan promises only poverty and danger. One refugee disclosed he was warned about “unknown armed men” targeting returnees. “The only armed men in Afghanistan are Taliban,” he noted.

TIME spoke with several individuals trapped by this pause, who requested anonymity for fear of repercussions from Afghan or Pakistani authorities.

Hamida was scheduled to fly to Doha and then on to Pennsylvania with her husband and young child on February 3. On January 25, she received an email from her contact at the International Organization for Migration informing her that her flight had been canceled. She had left Afghanistan at her father-in-law’s urging, who warned her that her previous work with maternal health NGOs could put her family at risk.

Now terrified of returning, Hamida fears for her life. “I’m 100% sure I won’t survive more than a week there,” she says. Currently, she lives in a cramped one-room home. Their 30-month visa process, during which her refugee status was confirmed, has drained their savings. To avoid detection by Pakistani police, they keep their door locked and remain hidden most of the day. Her husband no longer takes labor jobs, their child rarely plays outside, and they shop for groceries only at night. Hamida, formerly a project manager overseeing 60 staff, now supports her family through at-home tailoring. “We’ll try to survive here if we can,” she asserts. “I don’t know what we will do, but returning to Afghanistan is not an option.”

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In contrast, Hekmatullah’s brother seems to have a slightly better situation. Hekmatullah arrived in the U.S. a year prior on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) designated for those who served alongside U.S. forces. He can provide financial support to his brother, yet he too faces challenges. Hekmatullah had expected his brother to arrive in Missouri on February 5, but on January 25, he was informed by his local refugee resettlement agency that the trip had been canceled.

Now, Hekmatullah’s brother, who worked with various American NGOs during the war, is constantly on the move, staying in different rentals and friends’ homes to evade capture and deportation to Afghanistan. “The Pakistani government is actively searching for Afghan refugees to arrest them and send them back,” Hekmatullah explains. “But in Afghanistan, being sent back means arrest.” (The Pakistani embassy did not respond to inquiries.)

Kheyal’s family had completed their paperwork, and their travel documents were requested in December. He, along with his wife and children, expected their flight details any day. “Until January 20, we were genuinely hopeful,” he recalls. They are currently relying on savings from his previous job, which he resigned from in anticipation of moving to the U.S. The Pakistani government has recently changed visa policies, now requiring monthly instead of six-month extensions, each costing $200 along with various “handling fees.” Police frequently visit his apartment building.

At 3 a.m., Kheyal speaks to TIME, noting that no one in his household is sleeping. “When we learned the process was suspended, we lost our ability to sleep and eat,” he shares. “My children are depressed. They have access to social media and hear everything. I can’t keep anything hidden from them.” He hopes to wait out the pause in Pakistan.

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Suhrab’s family can’t afford to wait any longer. His father, a judge, had to go into hiding when the Taliban regained power, fearing retribution from those he had sentenced. The family arrived in Pakistan in January 2022, with their resettlement managed by Welcome Corps, a Biden-era initiative allowing groups of U.S. citizens—in this instance, a church in East Tennessee—to sponsor refugees. However, that program is now suspended.

From the safety of the West, Suhrab often works double shifts to support them, and his brother, now outside the region, sends money as well. The family and their church group are actively seeking another country to accept them, although very few nations are issuing visas to Afghan passport holders. “I’m terrified,” Suhrab admits while on a lunch break at work. “What if they are caught and forced to leave Pakistan? I can’t imagine what will happen to them.”

The church group is equally dismayed. “It surprises me that our American government is taking this stance, particularly against refugees,” remarks Melva McGinnis, who coordinates the Welcome Corps program at the church, which has previously assisted another Afghan family. “In the past, it seemed anyone could come in, whether legally or illegally. It’s unjust that those trying to enter the States responsibly are being barred.”

Trump’s actions were not entirely unexpected, given his previous efforts to significantly reduce refugee admissions during his last term, even prior to COVID-19 restrictions. Surveys indicate a broad spectrum of Americans across the political divide support the acceptance of refugees, with even higher approval for those from Afghanistan who were allied with U.S. forces. Under President Biden, the annual refugee admissions rose from a historic low of 11,400 in 2021 to over 100,000 in 2024—though the total during his term pales in comparison to the numbers admitted under President Carter (375,000) and President Reagan (660,000 over two terms).

Perhaps even more surprising is the plight of Afghan military personnel who served alongside U.S. forces. Mohammad, who helped guard detainees at a U.S. air base, has applied twice for entry into America. After an 18-month wait for his SIV, he also applied for a refugee visa, but his case was still pending when the three-month pause began. He, his wife, two brothers, and sister-in-law are currently living in a shack in a slum. “My situation is dire,” he states. “We have no money for food or medicine.” They are limited to one meal a day, relying on the kindness of locals.

VanDiver from AfghanEvac is advocating for a bipartisan effort in Congress to create an exception for the already-approved refugees stranded in Pakistan or Afghanistan, which he estimates at around 65,000 individuals, with 50,000 still within Afghanistan. “Our coalition represents a broad cross-section of America,” he explains. “Ninety percent of the American public is in favor of this initiative. It’s a widely supported cause.”

Eric Lebo, a former Navy Reservist who served with Mohammad at the air base, emphasizes the importance of their contributions. “We couldn’t have accomplished our missions without him and his soldiers,” says Lebo, who now drives a truck in California. “There’s a lot of talk about refugee and immigration issues, but people like Mohammad are soldiers who fought alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Their lives are at stake.”

Mohammad’s family remains in Afghanistan, and he recently shared a horrifying photo of his brother, who was shot in the face. Mohammad believes the assailants mistook his brother for him.