U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Targets Afghan Migrants During Holiday Season
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has summoned Afghans residing in the United States to present their documents during the holiday season, sparking concerns among migrant communities and advocacy groups. This move is seen as the latest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on migrants from the Asian nation. According to copies of letters sent to different individuals, ICE is seeking appointments for a “scheduled report check-in” on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and other dates around the holidays.
Concerns Over Timing and Intentions
Recipients of the letters had previously gained legal protection and were deemed “Afghan allies” as part of a program started by former President Biden in August 2021 to protect those who fled to the U.S. after the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover of the war-torn country. However, the immigration agency has arrested migrants who appear at its offices in response to such formal requests, including those attending interviews for their green cards. Shawn VanDiver, founder of the nonprofit group AfghanEvac, criticized the call-ins and their timing, stating that “ICE is using federal and religious holidays to detain Afghans when access to legal counsel, courts, and advocates is at its lowest.”
Department of Homeland Security Response
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the check-ins “routine” and “long-standing” without elaborating on how many letters were sent out. The spokesperson added that ICE continues its standard operations during the holidays, despite Christmas and New Year’s Day being federal holidays when most government offices are closed. However, this explanation has done little to alleviate concerns among migrant communities and advocacy groups, who argue that the timing and intentions behind the call-ins are suspect.
Changes to U.S. Immigration Policy
The call-ins follow substantial changes to the U.S. immigration policy under President Trump targeting Afghans in the wake of the November shooting of two National Guard troops by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who worked with U.S. forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in the U.S. in 2021. Since the November shooting, the Trump administration has announced it will re-review the cases of all refugees resettled under the Biden administration and freeze their green card applications, and will consider among “significant negative factors” a country’s inclusion on the president’s vast travel ban.
Impact on Afghan Refugees
The administration’s refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 was vastly lowered to 7,500 from 125,000, with the presidential determination indicating it will favor white South Afrikaners and not mentioning Afghans. The administration also removed an exemption for Afghan nationals with Special Immigration Visas, which offers those who provided services to the U.S. government or military in Afghanistan, when it expanded its entry ban list to nationals of more than 30 countries from 19 previously. The State Department this year shuttered the office that helped resettle Afghan refugees who assisted the American war effort, further exacerbating the challenges faced by Afghan migrants.
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