Afghans Face Alarming Danger of Return to Taliban Persecution, New Human Rights First Analysis Warns
WASHINGTON D.C. —Following the Trump administration’s May 12 termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans, its prior resettlement freeze, and the Pakistani government’s escalating expulsions of Afghans to Afghanistan, a new Human Rights First analysis details worsening Taliban persecution and the escalating danger that Afghans will be forced back to suffer floggings, torture, forced conversions, executions and other harms in Afghanistan.
“For the Trump administration to claim that conditions in Afghanistan have improved enough to justify returning people is simply unconscionable and divorced from reality,” said Eleanor Acer, Senior Director of Global Humanitarian Protection at Human Rights First. “Our new analysis shows the situation is worsening. Women and girls face systematic denial of their rights — including bans on education, employment, travel, healthcare, and even speaking or singing in public. Human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQ+ individuals, religious and ethnic minorities, civil society leaders, women’s rights advocates, and those who put their lives on the line to work with the former Afghan government, U.S. military, or international organizations are all at risk of Taliban persecution if they return. Given his vast experience, there is no way that Secretary Rubio is unaware of these realities. For the Trump administration to end TPS for Afghan nationals while granting refugee protections to white Afrikaners sends a dangerous and deeply discriminatory message about whose lives the United States values. Both the U.S. and Pakistani governments must reverse course and take steps urgently to save lives.”
These risks will only escalate in the wake of the Pakistani government’s ramped up expulsions following its April 30 deadline for Afghans in Pakistan to be relocated to the United States and other foreign nations. The Trump administration’s May 12 TPS termination heightens alarms that at-risk Afghans will be delivered to Taliban persecution and sets a dangerous example for other countries around the world.
Human Rights First urges the United States, the Government of Pakistan, and other countries to uphold international law that prohibits returns to persecution and torture. The United States should urge Pakistan to halt its mass expulsions and uphold international law. The Trump administration should restart swift U.S. resettlement of refugees, conduct prompt relocation of at-risk Afghans, continue the congressionally authorized CARE office, restore crucial humanitarian aid and reverse its TPS termination. Recommendations are detailed in the analysis.
U.S. veterans who served in Afghanistan, as well as U.S. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, have implored the United States to honor the promises it has made. Abandoning and returning to torture and possibly death Afghans who put their lives on the line to work with the U.S. government and military, or to support human rights and democracy, will undermine trust in the United States and make it much more difficult for the United States to enlist allies and partners in the future. As the analysis outlines, forced and premature returns that violate international law endanger lives, risk destabilizing the region, heighten onward movements and harm U.S. national interests.
Human Rights First has long urged U.S. presidents and Congress to protect Afghans who put their lives on the line working with the U.S. government and U.S. military, as well as those who worked for human rights and democracy or face other persecution. The organization provides pro bono legal assistance and representation to many Afghans who were brought to U.S. safety by the U.S. government and/or have sought asylum in the United States.
To speak with Eleanor, please contact [email protected].
