WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would help Afghan citizens who have been living in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country following the Taliban’s return to power.
Trump, a Republican who pledged to implement a strict immigration policy, suspended the refugee resettlement programme shortly after taking office in January.
In April, his administration also ended temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans residing in the United States, Reuters news agency reported.
“I will try to save them, starting right now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.
Trump cited the news website “Just the News” as saying that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed the report.
The United Arab Emirates agreed in 2021 to temporarily host several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban seized control, marking the final phase of the US-led withdrawal.
Since the chaotic exit from Kabul, the administration of former President Joe Biden has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the United States.
In response to a US request, Canada committed in 2022 to resettle approximately 1,000 of the Afghans still housed in the UAE. However, the current number of Afghans remaining in the Gulf nation remains unclear.
According to the United Nations, nearly two million Afghans have been returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past seven months.
Germany on Friday deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amid a tightening of refugee admissions. Some other European countries are pushing to tighten asylum rules in the bloc.
In the United States, Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021.
