Afghan refugees
[12] Along with this, approximately 3.2 millions Afghan nationals have been driven from their homes and into the status of internally displaced person (IDP).
[11] Some countries that were part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) established special programs to allow thousands of Afghans to resettle in the Western world.
[22] The Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) caused a new wave of internal displacement, with many citizens moving to northern areas in order to avoid the Taliban totalitarianism.
[23][24] External influence over the past 50 years by both the Soviet Union and later the United States, along with actions of the currently ruling Taliban regime, have led to continued trends of displacement.
The American invasion of Afghanistan (as well as the 20 years of occupation by the United States military) has contributed to the displacement of Afghan nationals.
[22] Unlike in certain other countries, all admitted refugees and those granted asylum in the United States are statutorily eligible for permanent residency (green card) and then U.S. nationality or U.S.
[35][5] They are free to return to Afghanistan under a voluntary repatriation program or move to any other country of the world and be firmly resettled there.
[38][39][40][41][42] Others such as the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and their family members, who are awaiting to be firmly settled in the United States,[13][14][16][17] are also residing in Pakistan.
[43]On 3 October 2023, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti ordered that all undocumented immigrants, particularly the nearly 1.73 million Afghan nationals, voluntarily leave the country by 1 November 2023 or face deportation in a crackdown.
"[46] As of October 2020, there are 780,000 registered Afghan refugees and asylum seekers temporarily residing in Iran under the care and protection of the UNHCR.
[54] Laws were passed in order to encourage the repatriation of Afghan refugees, such as limits on employment, areas of residence, and access to services including education.
[65] This was in addition to an earlier initiative to resettle thousands of Afghans who had worked for the Canadian Government, such as interpreters and embassy employees, as well as their families.
[68] On 17 August, after the fall of Kabul, Ugandan Government announced that based on United States' request, they will be temporarily hosting 2000 Afghan refugees.
"[73] Although, the Department of State, on April 27, 2021, had ordered American troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11,[74] it was not until early August 2021 that the security situation of Kabul deteriorated drastically.
[80] On August 26, 2021, CNN reported two explosions at the HKIA that killed 13 US Marines and approximately 60 Afghans outside the airport walls.
Humanitarian parole serves as a method for individuals otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States to be given temporary permission to enter the country by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
This program allowed for Afghan Humanitarian Parolees to re-apply to the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) for parole status if they fell into eligible categories, particularly if they had been initially paroled into the United States as part of the initial Operation Allies Refuge.
The policy was put into place by the administration of President Joe Biden, and additionally allowed for the extension of employment authorization for any individual whose re-parole was approved.
Efforts such as the Afghan Adjustment Act have been introduced into both the 117th & 118th US Congressional sessions in an effort to provide a pathway to citizenship for Afghan nationals, however the bill has yet to pass both Houses of Congress, partly as a result of its key omission from the 2022 omnibus spending bill (the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022).
Opposition to the Act has largely come from Republican lawmakers, particularly Senator Chuck Grassley, who stated in 2022 that he would not stand behind the bill "as long as the vetting process is not improved.
"[89] Multiple Republicans have echoed this point of view, after 2 individuals of the more than 76,000 admitted were found to potentially pose a threat to National Security as a result of a report from the Office of the Inspector General.
[90][89] Hundreds of former Afghan special forces who fought alongside British troops in Afghanistan have been refused resettlement to the UK.
[112][113][114] As the price of citizenship for their family members, Afghan children as young as 14 were recruited to fight in Iraq and Syria for a six-month tour.
Unsanitary conditions have been reported at US air bases,[120][121] and one Afghan refugee's online post of his food portion at Fort Bliss in 2021 drew some hateful responses.
Studies have shown abnormally high mental health issues and suicide rates among Afghan refugees and their children.
