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Several groups of veterans sent a letter to the president Donald Trump On Thursday, urging him to reconsider a recent executive order on immigration programs and refugees, citing concerns about the safety of Afghan interpreters and their families that helped the US army.
He Executive orderThe United States Refugee Refugee Program will enter into force on Monday and will suspend the United States refugee admission program (USRAP).
Trump’s order immediately stops all the processing and movements of the Usrap refugees, which are referred due to threats by their association with the US., As relatives of members of the service and associated Afghan forces.
The special immigrant visas (SIV), the people who worked directly for the US government or supported it, which includes interpreters and contractors, do not seem directly affected.
2 Americans released in exchange for prisoner Taliban
President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders in the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Sossford/The Washington Post via getty images)
However, they could be indirectly affected by implementation decisions or additional orders, according to #AFGHANEVAC, a non -profit organization that helps to facilitate the relocation and resettlement of allies Afghanos in the United States.
Veterans groups wanted to highlight the “unwanted consequences” of the order, claiming that it could negatively affect the mental health of innumerable veteran.
The letter, obtained by Fox News, analyzed the links that many service members and veterans formed with Afghan partners who supported the global war against terrorism, often with great personal risk for them and their families.
“The current suspension of certain ways for these allies can involuntarily penalize people who could be eligible to receive special benefits.” Immigrant visas (SIV), but they currently do not possess them, not because they do not meet the requirements, but due to the chaotic and disorganized nature of the removal of Afghanistan under the previous administration, “said the letter.
The Taliban make a military parade with a team captured to the US army in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on November 8, 2021. (Mueteza Khaliqi/Agency Anadolu via getty images)
The groups said that they “fully support” Trump’s goal to prioritize US security, but believe there is a clear opportunity to address the issue without damaging Afghan partners.
The Executive Order argues that the entry of additional refugees would be “harmful to the interests of the United States”, but notes that the Secretary of State and the Secretary of National Security can make exceptions together and admit refugees case by case. when it is of national interest and there is no threat to the security or well -being of the United States.
Observing concerns about Afghan partners When they were “erroneously”, the groups said that the direct relatives of the partners, who face serious threats of the Taliban, could lose their hopes of a safe step.
They asked the president to consider the elbows eligible for the SIV and their families, to prevent them from being “inadvertently discarded due to failures that occurred during the failed withdrawal,” according to the letter.
“This approach would protect those who have risk their lives for our country and at the same time reinforce the clear commitment of their administration to national security,” they wrote.
Usrap has no impact on illegal immigration, according to #afghanevac. Refugees must be examined before entering the United States, and crossing the border without authorization annuls their eligibility.
Chad Robichaux, a veteran of the Force of Recognition of the Marines of the United States and contractor of the Department of Defense, told Fox News that he spent years of his life protecting US lives nationally and international It was made only by members of the US service.
Taliban fighters patrol the road during a celebration that marks the second anniversary of the withdrawal of the troops led by the United States of Afghanistan, in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, August 15. (AP/Abdul Khaliq)
“The Afghan interpreters risked their lives for two decades with us to defeat the evils of the Taliban,” Robichaux said. “When Afghanistan fell, I personally went to rescue my Aziz interpreter from the claws of that same evil, giving it to US soil. President Trump is taking strong and honorable measures to keep this sacred soil safe. But in doing so, he places” these same Afghan in danger. These Afghan allies have demonstrated more patriotic courage than some of our own citizens, and ask for their proper protection in the midst of these broad security measures. “
The suspension effectively leaves thousands of Afghan allies stranded in limbo, according to #afghanevac. The organization states that at least 10,000 and 15,000 people are already fully examined the waiting for flights in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries.
Trump’s order puts thousands of Afghan allies waiting for the resettlement of the United States
Combatters pointing to the Taliban. (Source: National Resistance Front)
The groups that signed the letter included: Save Our Allies; Pastor dog response; The Verardo Group; The Independence Fund; Jack diesel media; Special Operations Association of America; and the Mighty Oaks Foundation.
Tim Kennedy, a green beret, former UFC fighter, founder of Sheepdog Response and president of Save Our Allies, told Fox News that it is the duty of the Nation to protect its allies.
“I have served with the most patriotic heroes that our nation has to offer. I have seen them sacrifice lives and members brilliantly and bravely to protect the United States,” Kennedy said. “Among those patriots are the Afghan men who risked the threat and brutality of the Taliban to defend American freedom and ideals that we appreciate.”
Tim Kennedy during the weighs for UFC 206 on Air Canada Center. (Tom Szczerbowski-USA Today Sports)
According to #Afghanevac, there are still between 150,000 and 250,000 Afghans looking for a settlement. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 are refugees under the USrap.
“The Biden administration is responsible for our exit soaked in the blood of Afghanistan,” Kennedy said. “The allies we serve did not receive the promise we offered them. I applaud the necessary and copies that President Trump is doing to protect our country from foreign threats, but it is our duty to protect and preserve the holiness of our promise from Those Afghan allies, in many cases, we owe their lives and we must let this be their home. “
Since the end of the war in 2021, about 180,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States, Fox News Digital reported.
Many of those who still expect the approval of the refugee status hide. In Pakistan, Fearful of being deported back to Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden speaks in the Rosas Garden of the White House, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, in Washington. (Photo AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Daniel Elkins, executive director of the United States Special Operations Association, said he is “sure that there would be more Americans in the Arlington cemetery if it were not for the Afghan who risk their lives to help us, and now is the time that Let’s help them. ” “
Representative Michael McCaul, president emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, told Fox News that he hopes to continue working with Save Our Allies while advocating all the Afghan allies that former President Joe Biden “abandoned.”
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“Unlike President Biden, who constantly rejected the requests of veterans and service members to help his Afghan allies, President Trump cares about veterans and members of the United States service and will listen to them,” said McCaul.
The White House did not immediately respond to the request for comments from Fox News Digital on Thursday night.
Morgan Phillips of Fox News Digital contributed to this story.
