Batool’s 9-year-old sister no longer draws pictures of a united family.
That’s because her older sisters are in the U.S. while she remains in Afghanistan, hiding with her parents and two brothers.
It’s been nearly a decade since the family has been together.
Batool, who lives in the U.S., and her little sister thousands of miles away are just some of the several thousand people impacted by President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending the admission of refugees into the U.S.
On Monday, Trump signed the order titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” effectively shutting down refugee resettlement immediately.
It’s unknown how long the order will be in effect, but it vaguely states the policy will remain until further entry into the United States aligns with the interests of the country. The order also impacts the relatives of American service members.
Refugees who were scheduled to travel to the U.S. are from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Egypt, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries. The new policy does not apply to those who hold Special Immigrant Visas.
Batool thought things would have been easier for her family. Her father supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and a sister joined the U.S. military after graduating from university. They were told the American government would take care of them after the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The family has been approved for travel with the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts since 2022. Refugees cleared for travel to the U.S. are some of the most vetted people coming to the country. They endure intensive interviews and provide extensive documentation detailing who they are and their intentions for moving to the country.
Still, Batool’s parents have hoped every day for three years to get a phone call telling them to head to the airport. Their suitcases are always packed.
Now, it’s not clear what happens next.
The Independent emailed the Department of State for comment but did not hear back before publication.
“We thought that my family would be finally evacuated after three, four years of waiting,” said Batool, in her 30s and living in North Carolina. She asked to use limited identifying details out of concern for her family’s safety.
“Hearing news like this makes it even harder and pretty much heartbreaking for a family that has been waiting this long.,” she added.
“We don’t have any stable plan for our life,” her father told The Independent in a phone call from Afghanistan. He and his family can seldom leave their home out of fear they’ll be discovered by the Taliban and killed. “We were very disappointed to hear this,” he continued. “We have a lot of hope that finally we will be evacuated and I could reunite with my daughters, but now I lost all my hope.”
His 9-year-old daughter used to pepper him with questions about traveling to the U.S. to see her sisters, but now she no longer does. If they do come to the U.S., he wants to find a good school to further his children’s education and find a way to support himself in America.
Batool wants them to join her in North Carolina. “I think this is a great place for them to start their life in the U.S.,” she said. “Not every refugee is going to be a criminal or dependent on taxpayer money.”
If her family tried to move to another country now, the process could take another several years and their passports are due to expire soon. Contacting officials who can provide information about their case has also been a challenge. Most of the time they are not given updates and told to wait.
“Waiting has been the hardest thing my family has been doing in the last few years,” said Batool, explaining how officials do not give refugees advance notice of travel for security concerns.
Yaman, a refugee resettlement case worker in Orange County, California, knows exactly what families like Batool’s are going through. In 2016, she was awaiting travel to the U.S. after fleeing Syria with her two children. Trump suspended her refugee resettlement program during his last administration, and she was forced to wait four years to immigrate.
“We lost everything and we were not able to find a safe place to stay,” she said. “It was difficult for us.”
Now, it is her brother who is stuck in Egypt with his wife and children. He fled Syria in 2021 and planned to immigrate to the U.S. through the program Welcome Corps. He was awaiting travel information when Trump issued the executive order. His goal was to find a country that would welcome him without restrictions on work or studying, he told The Independent in a phone interview.
His sister doesn’t want to see him go through what she had to endure.
“I don't need my brother to be stuck at the same point,” said Yaman.
