Written by Fatos Petisi and Floron Goga
SHENGJIN, Albania (Reuters) – Ali Amini was just days from starting a new life in the United States when President Donald Trump withheld resettlement aid for Afghan refugees last week, a move that Amini could put at risk if she is forced to return home.
After processing in Albania, he had a flight booked for Tuesday and his bags were packed when Trump suspended government aid to transport tens of thousands of Afghans who had obtained visas.
“I don’t know if we will get to that plane, and if so, whether it will go to Kabul or the United States,” Amini said from Shengjin, a coastal town in northern Albania where he and 300 citizens owned a plane. .
Sean Vandiver, president of the #AFGHANEVAC coalition of veterans and advocacy groups, told Reuters on Saturday Sean Vandiver, president of the #AFGHANEVAC coalition of veterans and advocacy groups, told Reuters on Saturday that Trump’s pause on foreign aid led to the suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans. Those who have been approved for special US visas are at risk of being captured by the Taliban.
Amini arrived in Albania more than a month ago and obtained visas in Tirana, the capital, for his wife and three children, the youngest of whom is six months old.
After the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, thousands who worked for the US military or other organizations in Albania were processed and granted visas before traveling to the United States.
Upon hearing the news from Trump, Amini’s wife was moved to tears while their children became anxious about the future.
After serving as a lock for US forces before they withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Amini lived in hiding for three years for fear of retaliation from the Taliban.
“If we go back, they will kill us because, to the Taliban, we are basically Americans and they are their number one enemy, since we worked with the Americans with the Americans.”
“last plane”
Vandiver said most of those affected by Trump’s decision were stranded in Afghanistan, with others in Pakistan, Qatar and Albania.
The order also prompted the State Department to suspend funding for groups that help Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVS) find housing, schools, and jobs in the United States.
Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States with SIVs or as refugees since 2021. Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign included promises for tough immigration policies.
In Shengjin, children play soccer and write their names in the sand at the beach, while their parents anxiously check phones for news. Among the whispers, Trump’s name was mentioned.
Sadat, 27, arrived on Thursday after traveling from Kabul to Dubai, then Kuwait, Istanbul, and finally Tirana, with a group of about 130 people.
“My friends in Kabul told me I was lucky, because that was probably the last plane with people like us,” Sadat said, noting that he was informed on Saturday of a visa interview scheduled for the following week.
Sadat added: “Things are changing by the hour, and waiting until next week feels like a lifetime. I’m very worried.”
The UN mission in Afghanistan reports that the Taliban have detained, tortured and killed former soldiers and officials of the previous US-backed government. The Taliban have issued general amnesties to former troops and government officials but deny the allegations.
“We cannot go back to Afghanistan because, for the Taliban, we are already in America and we will be dealing with spies,” Sadat explained.
“Mr. Trump, don’t send us to butcher knives in Kabul,” defended another Afghan, whose visa expires in two weeks.
