Overview

• On Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order halting all refugee admissions, including Afghan family reunification flights, and cut foreign aid to U.S. resettlement agencies.
• In April, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would not renew temporary protected status for Afghans, leading to its expiration on July 14 and exposing many to deportation risk.
• The State Department closed its office overseeing Afghan relocation in mid-2025 and in June added Afghanistan to the U.S. travel ban list, blocking further legal entry.
• California’s Afghan community of over 58,000 faces strained support as state lawmakers rejected expanded funding and nonprofits like Opening Doors scramble to process emergency resettlement requests.
• Evacuees such as former DEA translator Marwa and ex-civil servant A.T. remain separated from loved ones and uncertain about their future without restored federal safeguards.