Afghan Refugees Stuck in Limbo as USRAP Suspension Defies Court Order
On February 10, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Washington challenging President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). On February 25, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, forcing the government to recommence USRAP processing.
In the weeks following the injunction, Afghan USRAP applicants at processing hubs around the world have still been forbidden from departing for the U.S. A single Afghan USRAP applicant and her family have skirted the prohibition, however, thanks to a workaround that advocates see as a method for other well-vetted, travel-ready refugees to follow in their path.Â
“A Beautiful Accident”
Priority-1 USRAP applicant Freshta was a prosecutor for the former Afghan government. Because she used a burgeoning Western legal system to bring justice for victims of domestic violence, she was a prime target for Taliban retribution following the group’s ascent to power in August 2021. Her husband Hadi, a renowned journalist, was also at risk after the U.S. withdrawal, already having survived a stabbing attack in 2012 because of his anti-Taliban positions.
When the Taliban seized power in their homeland, Freshta and Hadi fled to Pakistan, where they lived in a one-bedroom apartment with their two children for more than three years while awaiting the processing for Freshta’s USRAP case.
Life in Pakistan has been difficult for Afghan refugees, who cannot be processed in their homeland, where there is no operational U.S. Embassy. The cost of living is higher in Pakistan, and refugees are not able to work or send their children to school.
The situation became more difficult in late 2023 when the Pakistani government began deporting large numbers of Afghan migrants, causing fear in the American allies awaiting the processing of USRAP or Special Immigrant Visa cases. When a new wave of deportation began in late 2024, Hadi found himself in Pakistani custody. The police threatened Hadi with deport
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