Despite the continued suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the State Department appears to have begun a quiet effort to move a limited number of Afghans with USRAP cases out of Pakistan.
Many Afghan USRAP applicants fled to Pakistan following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, both to remain safe amid the Taliban’s reprisal campaign and because their cases could only be processed in a country with a functioning U.S. Embassy. After enduring endless processing hurdles under the Biden administration, USRAP applicants found their cases frozen after Jan. 20, when Trump suspended the USRAP program by executive order.
Last week, a source in Pakistan told the Washington Examiner that multiple Afghans with referrals to the USRAP had begun receiving emails from the United Nations International Organization for Migration Resettlement Support Center. In an email provided to the Washington Examiner, IOM requests an update about an Afghan USRAP applicant’s location.
The source said that multiple Afghans have received similar IOM emails. Two of these individuals had Priority-2 referrals to the USRAP and were in the latter stages of processing. One had reportedly passed medical evaluations, while the other had been fully vetted and was scheduled for a flight out of Pakistan in early February. One applicant who received contact from IOM reportedly had a Priority-1 referral and had formerly been a member of the Afghan special operations community.
Sources familiar with the USRAP program say that IOM’s emails were sent in advance of efforts to move Afghans affiliated with the Department of War and intelligence community out of Pakistan, where an enhanced campaign of deportations has left vulnerable Afghans at great risk of return to their homeland. It does not appear that the USRAP is restarting, and some believe that these individuals may be processed through an alternate pipeline.
Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, told the Washington Examiner that there is speculation that “there is an internal struggle ongoing.” He emphasized that “it doesn’t mean that [USRAP is] restarted yet.” The State Department did not respond to my requests that they confirm the initiative and explain the extent of their efforts to move Afghans in the USRAP program.
While this development may represent victory for Afghans who have been contacted by IOM and appear to be preparing for a move to safety, for other USRAP applicants who also remain in danger, the news will be disheartening. Increasing deportations have created difficult and expensive circumstances for Afghans who fear returning to their homeland. Police are reportedly forcing some Afghan refugees to pay exorbitant bribes to remain safe from deportation. Others are reportedly being forced out of their housing because they are Afghan.
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One American handler says that a single mother who was a human rights activist in her homeland was kicked out of her rental and now lives on the streets with her young child. The woman reports being propositioned daily by both Pakistani police and passersby. She reports that many other Afghan refugees have likewise been turned out of their homes.
For others, a return to Afghanistan may be a death sentence. One USRAP applicant I’ve spoken to was a judge in the former Afghan government. He brought justice to members of the Haqqani network and other terrorist leaders. He knows that at least 53 Afghan judicial personnel have already been killed in Taliban reprisals.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance contributor to Fox News and the host of The Afghanistan Project.