MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Afghans who were in the process to seek asylum in the United States have had their hopes dashed repeatedly under this Trump administration. Now, after an Afghan migrant shot and killed one member of the National Guard here in Washington, D.C., and critically wounded another, their dreams of reaching the U.S. seem even further away. NPR's Diaa Hadid reports from Mumbai.
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Aly, an Afghan national, lives in hiding in Pakistan.
ALY: I can say that in these months we got older more than 10 or 20 years.
HADID: Like he and his wife have aged 20 years. He asks we not use his full name. He's at risk of deportation to Afghanistan, where he fears he'll be harmed or killed. He was a translator in Afghanistan from 2018 to 2021 and was in the pipeline to enter the U.S.
ALY: Doors are closing day by day.
HADID: Even before Afghan migrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal opened fire on members of the National Guard last Wednesday in Washington, the Trump administration had been ratcheting up the restrictions on Afghans entering and staying in the United States. Soon after President Trump began his second term, he suspended the U.S. refugee program. That effectively suspended most Afghan migration to the U.S. For most Afghans, it hasn't resumed, but those who fought alongside the U.S. and allied forces during America's 20-year presence in the country were still allowed to enter after extensive vetting. Then, Wednesday's attack happened, and...
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SCOTT DETROW: The man accused of opening fire is Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He's 29. He's Afghan, and he worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan before coming to the U.S.
HADID: The Trump administration announced all immigration requests from Afghan nationals would be halted indefinitely, pending a review of vetting protocols. The administration announced they'd reexamine every green card issued to, quote, "aliens of countries of concern." They appear to include Afghanistan. President Trump also lashed out at immigrants and refugees in a tirade on social media, saying that only reverse migration would resolve the problems he claims they've wreaked on the country.
ARASH AZIZZADA: That had made a lot of our community very nervous. Would they lose their status? Would they have to reapply for asylum?
HADID: Arash Azizzada is co-director of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow. He says Afghans he's speaking to are afraid they'll be detained while attending meetings regarding their immigration status, and he accuses the Trump administration of breaking a promise that America had made not to abandon its Afghan allies.
AZIZZADA: And not only has the U.S. betrayed it, it's vilifying and scapegoating an entire community because of the actions of one man who does not represent us.
HADID: Back in Pakistan, Aly lives in fear. Pakistan was once a place where Afghan migrants lived while waiting on their asylum claims. But this year, the U.N. says Pakistan has deported more than 1.5 million Afghans, including those who've been waiting for their U.S. claims to be processed. So to stay safe while they wait for a change of heart in Washington, Aly and his wife have paid thousands of dollars in bribes for rare visas. They stay home during the day. They buy food at night from street-side vendors so they don't attract attention.
ALY: When we're sleeping, we have nightmares.
HADID: The problem, he says, is that nothing changes when he wakes up.
Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.
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