US President Donald Trump has suspended a policy that allowed Afghan refugees meeting certain criteria to resettle in the US. In Albania, thousands of Afghans who fled their country before the Taliban took power face uncertainty as they await approval for US visas.
In the context of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the increase in Taliban violence, the United States, under President Biden's leadership, has expanded the pool of at-risk Afghan citizens who are eligible for refugee status in the US.
It included employees and former employees of U.S.-based intelligence organizations, as well as U.S.-based humanitarian and development agencies and other humanitarian groups that receive U.S. funding. Also included were employees and former employees of the U.S. government and NATO military operations who did not meet the criteria for the special program for such personnel.
However, the move came with a significant caveat that severely limited the number of people who could benefit: applicants had to leave Afghanistan and begin an assessment process that could take 12-14 months in a third country. The United States had no intention of encouraging their departure or stay in that country.
More than 3,200 Afghans, many of whom met the conditions for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), remain in Albania. On arrival at the site, they were interviewed and asked to provide the necessary documentation to process their applications.
However, in its first days in office, the Trump administration announced that the US refugee admissions programme would be suspended for at least three months from 27 January. The White House said that during that time, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, would submit a report to the President on whether it is in the US interest to reinstate the program.
Refugees who were approved to travel to the United States before January 27 had their travel plans cancelled by the Trump administration. Among those affected are more than 1,600 Afghans who have permission to resettle in the US. That number includes those who worked alongside U.S. troops during the war, as well as family members of active U.S. military personnel.
Hope for the American Dream
Many Afghan refugees in Albania are still hoping that Washington will keep its promise to take them away from the oppressive Taliban regime.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate government, the Taliban soon began to enforce restrictions on women and girls, banning them from public spaces and most jobs and prohibiting girls from education beyond the sixth grade.
In the town of Shengjin on the Adriatic coast, about 70 kilometres northwest of the Albanian capital Tirana, hundreds of Afghans have taken temporary refuge since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. At the time, the final weeks of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops were underway after two decades of war, with the Afghan government and US-backed army crumbling.
"I want the U.S. government, the president, to feel good about the refugees." He said Hasibullah. "Go to America and work there and make some money or help our family so they don't have to live in a dangerous area," He added.
A woman who agreed to be identified only as Palwasha N., said she could not return home for fear of repercussions against her family in Afghanistan.
She said her visa was denied because she did not specify an educational programme in her application.
Palwasha, who is with her husband, three teenage daughters and son, said she was summoned for a second interview to clarify her documents but was told to "integrate" in Albania.
"It is not easy for me to integrate in Albania. I don't speak Albanian. They didn't bring me here to integrate into Albania. And it is also very difficult for Albanians to have jobs and job opportunities in their country. So how can we live here?" She said.
Thousands of Afghans are staying in Albanian tourist resorts along the Adriatic Sea. Albania, a NATO member, initially agreed to house fleeing Afghans for a year before finally settling them in the U.S., then pledged to hold them longer if their visas were delayed.
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euronews/ gnews - RoZ
ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO - euronews
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