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Several veterans groups sent a letter to the president donald trump On Thursday, she urged him to reconsider a recent executive order on immigration and refugee programs, citing concerns about the safety of Afghan interpreters and their families who helped the US military.
The executive orderThe realignment of the U.S. refugee program will take effect Monday and will suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
Trump’s order immediately pauses all processing and movements for USRAP refugees, who are derived from threats to their association with the United States, such as family members of service members and Afghan partner forces.
Special immigrant visas (SIVs), people who worked directly or supported the U.S. government, which includes performers and contractors, do not appear to be directly affected.
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President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders at the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
However, they could be indirectly affected by implementation decisions or additional orders, according to #Afghanevac, a nonprofit that helps facilitate the relocation and resettlement of America’s Afghan allies.
Veterans groups wanted to highlight “unintended consequences” of the order, claiming it could negatively affect the mental health of countless veterans.
The letter, obtained by Fox News, discussed the good many service members and veterans trained with Afghan partners who supported the global war on terror, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families.
“The current suspension of certain pathways of these allies may inadvertently penalize people who might be eligible for special Immigrant visas (SIVS) but are currently not being retained, not because they do not meet the qualifications, but because of the chaotic and disorganized nature of the withdrawal from Afghanistan under the previous administration,” the letter read.
The Taliban hold a military parade with captured US Army equipment in Kandahar, Afghanistan on November 8, 2021. (Murtezachaliqi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The groups said they “fully support Trump’s goal of prioritizing American security, but believe there is a clear opportunity to address the issue without prejudice to Afghan partners.
The executive order argues that the entry of additional refugees would be “harmful to the interests of the United States,” but notes that the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security can make exceptions and admit refugees on a case-by-case basis. when it is in the national interest, and there is no threat to the security or welfare of the United States.
Pointing out concerns about Afghan partners Having been deported “wrongly”, the groups said the partners’ immediate family members, who face serious threats from the Taliban, may lose their hopes of safe passage.
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They asked the president to consider SIV-eligible allies and their families, to prevent them from being “inadvertently sidelined due to the turn that occurred under the battered withdrawal,” according to the letter.
“This approach would protect those who have risked their lives for our country while reinforcing your administration’s clear commitment to national security,” they wrote.
USRAP has no impact on illegal immigration, according to #Afghanevac. Refugees must be screened before entering the United States and crossing the border without the clearance voiding their eligibility.
Chad Robichaux, a United States Marine Corps Veteran and Defense Department contractor, told Fox News that he spent years of his life protecting American life domestically and internationally. but the sacrifice was not made solely by American service members.
Taliban fighters patrol the road during a celebration marking the second anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, August 15. (AP/Abdul Khaliq)
“Afghan interpreters risked their lives for two decades by our side to defeat the evils of the Taliban,” Robichaux said. “When Afghanistan fell, I personally went to rescue my interpreter Aziz from the clutches of this evil, delivering him to American soil. President Trump is taking strong steps to keep this soil holy. These same Afghans in danger
The suspension effectively leaves thousands of Afghan allies stuck in limbo, according to #Afghanevac. The organization says at least 10 to 15,000 people are fully screened and waiting for flights to Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries.
Trump Order Puts Thousands of Afghan Allies
The fighters targeted the Taliban. (Source: National Resistance Front)
The groups that signed the letter included: Save Our Allies; Answer by SheepDog; The Verardo group; The Independence Fund; Diesel Jack Media; Special Operations Association of America; and Mighty Oaks Foundation.
Tim Kennedy, a Green Beret, former UFC fighter, founder of Sheepdog Response and president of Save Our Allies, told Fox News that it is the country’s duty to protect its allies.
“I’ve served with the most patriotic heroes our nation has to offer. I’ve seen them sacrifice brilliantly and bravely to protect America,” Kennedy said. “Among these patriots are the Afghan men who risked the threat and brutality of the Taliban to defend the freedom and American ideals we hold dear.”
Tim Kennedy during the UFC 206 weigh-ins at the Air Canada Center. (Tom Szczerbowski-US Today Sports)
According to #Afghanevac, there are still 150,000-250,000 Afghans seeking settlement. An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 are refugees under USRAP.
“The Biden administration is responsible for our bloody exit from Afghanistan,” Kennedy said. “The allies we served alongside did not receive the promise we offered them. I applaud President Trump’s necessary and exemplary efforts to secure our country from foreign threats, but it is our duty to protect and preserve the sanctity of our pledge to Those Afghan allies.
Since the end of the war in 2021, about 180,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States, Fox News Digital reported.
Many of those still awaiting refugee approval are in hiding In Pakistan, Fearful of deportation back to Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Cneta)
Daniel Elkins, CEO of the Special Operations Association of America, said that “there would certainly be more Americans at Arlington Cemetery if it weren’t for the Afghans who risked their lives to help us , and now is the time for him to help them.”
Representative Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News that he hopes to continue working with Save Our Allies as they defend all Afghan allies former President Joe Biden “abandoned.”
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“Unlike President Biden, who consistently dismissed the motives of veterans and service members to help their Afghan allies, President Trump cares about America’s veterans and service members and will listen to them,” McCaul said .
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Thursday night.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this story.
