Flights for Afghans with special US visas have been suspended, according to an advocate and an official

President Donald Trump‘s decision to pause foreign aid has resulted in the suspension of flights for over 40,000 Afghans who have been approved for special U.S. visas and are at risk of Taliban retaliation, according to a prominent advocate and a U.S. official on Saturday.

The majority of those affected are currently in Afghanistan, while others are located in Pakistan, Qatar, and Albania, as stated by Shawn VanDiver, the leader of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of veterans and advocacy organizations collaborating with the U.S. government to facilitate the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans who assisted the United States during the two-decade conflict.

This halt was initiated by Trump’s directive to suspend foreign development aid for 90 days while a review of its effectiveness and alignment with his “America First” foreign policy is conducted. Experts and advocacy groups have indicated that this pause in foreign aid has caused significant disruption in both U.S. and international aid efforts, halting essential programs related to nutrition, health, and vaccinations.

Additionally, the order led to the State Department suspending funding for organizations that assist Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) in securing housing, education, and employment in the United States.

During his successful 2024 reelection campaign, Trump pledged to enforce stricter immigration policies. VanDiver expressed his belief that the flight suspension was not a deliberate action. “We think it was a mistake,” he remarked, expressing hope that the administration would provide exemptions for Afghans who have been approved for SIVs due to their service to the U.S. government during the war, which concluded with the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.

They stood with us in battle. They shared our wounds,” stated VanDiver, who noted that tens of thousands of Afghans are still awaiting the processing of their SIV applications. The White House and State Department have not yet responded to inquiries for comment.

According to reports from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, the Taliban have detained, tortured, and executed former soldiers and officials from the previous U.S.-backed administration. Although the Taliban has proclaimed a general amnesty for former military personnel and government officials, they deny these allegations.

The suspension of flights has left over 40,000 Afghans stranded, including SIV holders who are waiting to travel to the U.S. from visa processing centers in Qatar and Albania, as mentioned by VanDiver and a U.S. official who requested anonymity. This figure also encompasses Afghans who have been approved for SIVs and are currently waiting in Afghanistan and Pakistan to board U.S.-funded flights to the processing centers in Doha and Tirana to obtain their visas.

Since the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal in 2021, nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. under SIVs or as refugees. In a separate executive order signed just hours after his inauguration on Monday, Trump halted all U.S. refugee resettlement programs. This decision led to hundreds of Afghan refugees losing their spots on flights, including family members of active-duty Afghan American military personnel, former Afghan soldiers, and unaccompanied minors.