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Afghans who worked with US should be exempt from aid, refugee freeze: advocacy group
Trump’s move to freeze resettlement of Afghans will show enemies like ISIS that ‘the US abandons its allies’
A group representing US veterans, service members and others is warning the Trump administration of severe impacts on US security unless it exempts tens of thousands of Afghans from the president’s foreign aid and refugee freeze that has stranded them worldwide.
Possible consequences include a loss of trust that could impair local support for US troops in future wars, said a letter sent on Saturday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Shawn VanDiver, the head of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition working on the resettlement of Afghans with the US government, Reuters reported.
Denying the exceptions, it added, also will show foes like Islamic State (ISIS) that “the US abandons its allies,” and endanger active-duty Afghan-American US military members’ wives, children and parents who are stuck in Afghanistan.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters stated.
Among President Donald Trump’s first acts upon taking office were to order a temporary halt to foreign aid and refugee programs, pending 90-day reviews.