Hamida dedicated her efforts to establishing health clinics for women in remote regions and built a network of midwives to facilitate better maternal care. Mohammad took on the role of safeguarding detainees for the U.S. Army. Meanwhile, Hekmatullah’s brother was involved in U.S. government initiatives, and Suhrab’s father served as a significant judge dealing with complex legal matters. Kheyal was responsible for training fieldworkers for an international aid organization. Following the tumultuous U.S. military exit from Afghanistan in 2021, they all fled to Pakistan with their families, embarking on a long and complicated journey to legally enter the United States as refugees, with some having even secured flight tickets to America.
Now, however, they find themselves in a state of uncertainty.
One of President Donald Trump’s first executive actions was to suspend the Refugee Admissions Program for 90 days. This halt effectively stopped all processing of applications for those escaping persecution seeking refuge in the U.S. Reports from a refugee agency indicated to TIME that over 500 flights scheduled for more than 1,000 vetted refugees from the area were canceled.
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Shortly after the Executive Order was put into effect, the Pakistani government—home to around 1.5 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers (many of whom fled during the Soviet invasion)—announced that Afghan residents unable to find a new country must leave Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the two cities where many reside due to their access to the internet and aid resources, by March 31. Failure to comply would result in repatriation.
According to Shawn VanDiver, the founder of AfghanEvac—a coalition of veterans and support organizations—approximately 15,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan had been cleared to travel. They are now stuck in a dangerous limbo, unable to proceed or retreat. Their applications will remain stagnant until at least April 25, potentially for an indefinite period. After March 31, they will face heightened hostility in Pakistan, while returning to Afghanistan guarantees only poverty and peril. One refugee reported being warned about “unknown armed men” targeting those who return. “The only armed men in Afghanistan are the Taliban,” he remarked.
TIME spoke with several individuals affected by this pause, who preferred to remain anonymous due to fears of repercussions from Afghan or Pakistani authorities.
Hamida was set to embark on a journey to Doha and then to Pennsylvania with her husband and young child on February 3. However, on January 25, she received an email from her contact at the International Organization for Migration notifying her that her flight had been canceled. She had fled Afghanistan at her father-in-law’s insistence, who cautioned that her previous work with maternal health organizations might endanger her family.
Now filled with dread about returning, Hamida is fearful for her life. “I’m 100% certain I won’t survive more than a week there,” she states. Currently, she resides in a cramped one-room apartment. The lengthy 30-month visa process, during which her refugee status was confirmed, has depleted their savings. To avoid detection by Pakistani authorities, they keep their door locked and remain indoors most of the day. Her husband has stopped taking labor jobs, their child seldom plays outside, and they only shop for groceries at night. Once a project manager overseeing a team of 60, Hamida now supports her family by doing tailoring work from home. “We’ll try to survive here if we can,” she says. “I don’t know what we will do, but going back to Afghanistan is not an option.”
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In contrast, Hekmatullah’s brother finds himself in a somewhat better situation. Hekmatullah arrived in the U.S. a year earlier on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) meant for those who assisted U.S. forces. He is able to provide financial help to his brother, but he too faces his own challenges. Hekmatullah had anticipated his brother’s arrival in Missouri on February 5, but on January 25, he learned from his local refugee resettlement agency that the trip had been canceled.
Presently, Hekmatullah’s brother—who worked with various American NGOs during the conflict—is constantly on the run, staying in different rentals and friends’ homes to avoid capture and deportation back to Afghanistan. “The Pakistani government is actively searching for Afghan refugees to detain and send back,” Hekmatullah explains. “But in Afghanistan, being sent back means arrest.” (The Pakistani embassy did not respond to requests for comment.)
Kheyal’s family had completed all necessary paperwork, and their travel documents were requested in December. He, along with his wife and children, expected to receive their flight details any day. “Until January 20, we were genuinely hopeful,” he recalls. They are now living off savings from his previous job, which he left in preparation for moving to the U.S. The Pakistani government has recently altered visa policies, now requiring monthly extensions rather than six-month ones, each costing $200 along with various “handling fees.” Police frequently visit his apartment building.
Speaking to TIME at 3 a.m., Kheyal notes that no one in his household is sleeping. “When we found out the process was suspended, we lost the ability to sleep and eat,” he shares. “My children are depressed. They have access to social media and hear everything. I can’t keep anything hidden from them.” He hopes to weather the pause while in Pakistan.
Read More: Inside the Chaos and Heartache of Trump’s Foreign-Aid Freeze
Suhrab’s family cannot afford to remain in limbo any longer. His father, a judge, had to go into hiding when the Taliban regained control, fearing retaliation from those he had previously sentenced. The family arrived in Pakistan in January 2022, with their resettlement facilitated by Welcome Corps, a Biden-era initiative that allows groups of U.S. citizens to sponsor refugees—in this case, a church in East Tennessee. However, that program is currently on hold.
From the safety of the West, Suhrab often works double shifts to support his family, with his brother, now outside the region, also sending money. They, along with their church group, are actively searching for another country willing to accept them, although very few nations are currently issuing visas to Afghan passport holders. “I’m terrified,” Suhrab admits during a lunch break at work. “What if they get caught and are forced to leave Pakistan? I can’t bear to think about what could happen to them.”
The church group shares Suhrab’s concerns. “I’m surprised that our American government is taking this stance, particularly against refugees,” remarks Melva McGinnis, who coordinates the Welcome Corps program at the church, which has previously assisted another Afghan family. “In the past, it seemed anyone could enter, whether legally or illegally. It’s unjust that those trying to enter the States responsibly are being barred.”
Trump’s actions were not entirely unforeseen, given his prior attempts to drastically reduce refugee admissions during his last term, even before the COVID-19 restrictions. Surveys indicate a wide range of Americans, across the political spectrum, support accepting refugees, with even greater approval for those from Afghanistan who had aided U.S. forces. Under President Biden, annual refugee admissions have surged from a historic low of 11,400 in 2021 to over 100,000 in 2024—though the total during his term still falls short compared to those admitted under President Carter (375,000) and President Reagan (660,000 over two terms).
Perhaps even more troubling is the situation faced by Afghan military personnel who served alongside U.S. forces. Mohammad, who assisted in guarding detainees at a U.S. air base, has applied twice for entry into the United States. After enduring an 18-month wait for his SIV, he also applied for a refugee visa, but his case remained pending when the three-month suspension began. He, along with his wife, two brothers, and sister-in-law, are now living in a slum. “My situation is dire,” he states. “We have no money for food or medicine.” They survive on just one meal a day, relying on the generosity of local residents.
VanDiver from AfghanEvac is advocating for a bipartisan effort in Congress to create an exception for the already-approved refugees stranded in Pakistan or Afghanistan, estimating around 65,000 individuals are affected, with 50,000 still in Afghanistan. “Our coalition represents a broad cross-section of America,” he explains. “Ninety percent of the American public supports this initiative. It’s a cause that has widespread backing.”
Eric Lebo, a former Navy Reservist who worked alongside Mohammad at the air base, underscores the significance of their involvement. “We couldn’t have accomplished our missions without him and his soldiers,” says Lebo, who now drives a truck in California. “There’s a lot of discussion about refugee and immigration issues, but people like Mohammad are soldiers who fought alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Their lives are at stake.”
Mohammad’s family remains in Afghanistan, and he recently shared a harrowing photo of his brother, who was shot in the face. Mohammad believes the attackers mistook his brother for him.
