Trump vows help for Afghan allies seeking safety, citizenship in US

President Donald Trump on Wednesday promised that U.S. officials will find ways to assist Afghan allies seeking asylum in America but also suggested that a significant number of individuals involved in those immigration programs may have other motives.

“We know the good ones, and we know the ones that maybe aren’t so good,” Trump said during a White House event in response to a question about Afghan refugees. “We’re going to take care of those people, the ones that did a job [for us], the ones that were told certain things.”

Trump did not offer specifics on any new assistance or vetting programs for the refugees, but estimated that his administration would help out “about 90%” of the individuals seeking permanent immigration status.

In May, State Department officials announced plans to shutter the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts office, which handles planning and logistics for the relocation of Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas and other refugee assistance programs.

The White House this summer also ended its Operation Enduring Welcome program, which helped relocate Afghan nationals who are endangered because of their involvement with U.S. forces during the military conflict overseas.

And around the same time, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the end of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghanistan immigrants, stating that the region’s safety had improved and no longer posed a threat to the well-being of those returning.

That allows the deportation of some Afghan nationals living in the U.S. back to their home country, a move that advocates have said will likely mean torture and death. Around 9,000 Afghan citizens who worked alongside U.S. military forces were in the TPS program at the start of the summer.

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on July 23, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker testified that the administration “cares very deeply about our Afghan colleagues” and said officials are looking for ways to improve and reform those immigration programs.

But committee member Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, said the State Department’s recent moves run contrary to that claim.

“Tens of thousands of Afghans who worked with our forces during the 20-year war were promised a pathway [to American citizenship] and fully vetted, but are now stranded and waiting,” she said. “They face retribution for believing in America’s promises.”