KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Over 40,000 Afghans approved for U.S. Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) are stranded in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries due to a suspension of flights linked to a recent U.S. policy decision, according to Reuters.
The flight suspension follows an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump halting foreign development aid for 90 days.
The pause has disrupted U.S. and international aid operations, including critical programs in Afghanistan, and has delayed the evacuation of thousands of individuals approved under the SIV program.
The SIV program was designed to provide a pathway to safety for those who assisted U.S. military and government efforts during the two-decade war in Afghanistan. However, the flight suspension has left many approved SIV applicants in limbo, unable to board U.S.-funded flights to their new homes.
Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition, which works to evacuate Afghans who supported U.S. forces, called the suspension a “mistake.”
“They fought alongside us. They bled alongside us,” VanDiver said, referring to the thousands now stranded in processing centers in Qatar, Albania, and other locations.
The suspension is also impacting Afghan families of U.S. military personnel, former Afghan soldiers, and unaccompanied minors, many of whom had already secured seats on flights. The situation is made worse by the ongoing threat from the Taliban, who have targeted former Afghan soldiers and government officials despite offering a general amnesty.
Reports from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan have documented severe reprisals, including detentions, torture, and executions, against those with ties to the former U.S.-backed government.
The flight suspension, along with Trump’s freeze on refugee resettlement programs, has complicated efforts to relocate those still waiting for SIV processing. Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. since the 2021 troop withdrawal, but delays are now threatening the safety of those remaining.
Advocates, including VanDiver, urge the U.S. government to exempt Afghans approved for SIVs from the foreign aid pause.
“We cannot leave these people behind,” VanDiver said, calling for the suspension to be lifted immediately.