The Afghan travel ban has forced thousands of former US allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan into limbo. People like Ahmad, a former Afghan military worker, now live in constant fear of Taliban retaliation. Since the US withdrawal in 2021, Ahmad has remained in hiding. Without access to work, healthcare, or schooling for his 12-year-old son, he depends entirely on friends abroad for survival.
Ahmad pinned his hopes on US resettlement. His process had reached the final stage, needing only a medical check. Then, on Thursday, President Trump signed a sweeping new Afghan travel ban, citing national security concerns. “I am not a threat to the United States,” Ahmad told the BBC. “We were friends of the United States.”
The ban, now active, blocks people from Afghanistan and 11 other countries, many in Africa or the Middle East. The administration argued that Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, lacks a reliable authority to issue documents and conduct proper applicant screening. It also pointed to high visa overstay rates.
This decision devastated many applicants who had nearly completed their resettlement process. Ahmad, whose case a former US military member supported, doesn’t qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because he didn’t work directly with the US. Like him, tens of thousands of Afghans remain in similar situations.
Many Afghans fled to Pakistan, hoping for safety and a decision. But Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees in large numbers. Samira, who now lives there with her children, said returning to Afghanistan would endanger their lives and erase her children’s educational progress.
Mojo, a former Afghan ally and now a US citizen in Houston, worries about his sister still hiding in Afghanistan. She passed all background checks and medical exams. However, her case froze in January. “It’s like we’re in a nightmare,” Mojo said. “This ban took away all our hope.”
The Afghan travel ban also disrupts the lives of Afghan students and legal residents. Zarifa Ghafari, a former Afghan politician studying in New York, scrambled to return from Germany before the ban began. Her situation remains complicated by travel requirements to maintain her European residency.
Critics argue that the ban breaks America’s moral and strategic commitments. Shawn VanDiver of AfghanEvac emphasized, “They’re not threats. They’re our allies—and the US is abandoning them.” AfghanEvac’s data shows more than 8,300 US family members still awaiting interviews in Afghanistan, with 11,400 others hoping for reunification.
A 2023 UN report confirmed credible claims of hundreds of extrajudicial killings of former Afghan officials and military members. The Taliban continues enforcing strict laws, especially against women, which the UN describes as “gender apartheid.” Despite this, the US government recently revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 9,000 Afghans already in the US, claiming improved conditions in Afghanistan.
Although exceptions exist for Afghans who worked directly with the US military, the eligibility criteria exclude thousands who supported democracy in indirect but vital roles. The Afghan travel ban has left many in the shadows—betrayed by a country they once served with hope and loyalty.
