Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Dec 26: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has summoned Afghan nationals residing in the United States to present their documents during the holiday season, in what is seen as the latest step by the Trump administration to tighten action against migrants from Afghanistan.
According to letters accessed by Bloomberg News, ICE has sought appointments for “scheduled report check-ins,” with some notices asking individuals to report on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, both federal holidays. Other summons were issued for dates close to the holidays, including December 27 and December 30.
ICE has, in the past, arrested migrants who appeared at its offices in response to such formal requests, including those attending green card-related interviews. The recipients of the latest notices include Afghans who had earlier been granted legal protection under a programme launched by former President Joe Biden in August 2021 to safeguard those who fled Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal and the Taliban takeover. Many of them were classified as “Afghan allies” for assisting US forces.
Shawn VanDiver, founder of the non-profit AfghanEvac, criticised the timing of the summons, saying, “ICE is using federal and religious holidays to detain Afghans when access to legal counsel, courts, and advocates is at its lowest. This is not routine administrative scheduling.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, however, described the check-ins as “routine” and “long-standing,” adding that ICE continues standard operations during holidays, though no details were provided on how many notices were issued.
The development comes amid sweeping changes to US immigration policy under President Donald Trump. The measures targeting Afghans follow the November shooting of two National Guard troops by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who had worked with US forces and the CIA before entering the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Lakanwal, who has been charged with murder, arrived under the Biden-era programme.
Since the incident, the Trump administration has ordered a review of all refugees resettled under the Biden administration, frozen green card applications, and flagged countries under the president’s travel ban as “significant negative factors” in immigration decisions.
In another setback, the refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 has been drastically reduced to 7,500 from 125,000. The presidential determination prioritised White South Afrikaners and made no reference to Afghans.
The administration has also removed exemptions for Afghan nationals holding Special Immigration Visas, even as it expanded the US entry ban list to include nationals from over 30 countries. Afghan nationals were already subject to the ban prior to its expansion.
Earlier this year, the State Department shut down the office responsible for resettling Afghan refugees who assisted the US war effort. Efforts in Congress to revive the programme failed to make it into the defence policy bill signed by President Trump this month.