Trump aid freeze strands Afghan visa holders in Albania

By Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga

SHENGJIN, Albania (Reuters) - Ali Amini was just days from starting a new life in the United States when President Donald Trump halted aid for resettling Afghan refugees last week, a move that Amini worries could put his life in danger if forced to return home. 

After processing in Albania, he had a flight booked for Tuesday and his bags were packed when Trump suspended state aid needed to transport tens of thousands of Afghans who have been granted visas.

"I don't know if we will ever get on that plane and, if so, whether it will go to Kabul or the United States," Amini said from Shengjin, a coastal town in northern Albania where he is sheltering along with 300 compatriots.

Trump's pause on foreign aid has led to the suspension of flights for over 40,000 Afghans approved for special U.S. visas and at risk of Taliban retribution, Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups, told Reuters on Saturday.

Amini arrived in Albania more than a month ago and had secured visas in Tirana, the capital, for his wife and three children, the youngest being six months old.

Following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, thousands who worked for the U.S. army or other organizations were processed in Albania and granted visas before travelling to the United States.

Upon hearing the news from Trump, Amini's wife was moved to tears while their children have become anxious about the future.

After working as a locksmith for U.S. troops before their withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Amini lived in hiding for three years for fear of Taliban reprisals.

"If we return, they will kill us because, to the Taliban, we are essentially Americans and their number one enemies, as we worked shoulder to shoulder with the Americans."

'LAST PLANE'

Most of those affected by Trump's decision are stranded in Afghanistan, with others in Pakistan, Qatar and Albania, VanDiver said.

The order also prompted the State Department to suspend funding for groups that assist Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) in finding housing, schools, and jobs in the U.S.

Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. with SIVs or as refugees since 2021. Trump's victorious 2024 reelection campaign included promises of strict immigration policies.

In Shengjin, children play soccer and write their names in the sand on the beach, while their parents anxiously check phones for news. Among whispers, Trump's name is mentioned.

Sadat, 27, arrived on Thursday after travelling from Kabul to Dubai, then Kuwait, Istanbul, and finally Tirana, with a group of about 130 people.

"My friends in Kabul tell me I am lucky, as that might have been the last plane with people like us," said Sadat, noting that he was informed on Saturday of a visa interview scheduled for the following week.

"Things are changing every hour, and the wait until next week feels like a lifetime. I am so worried," Sadat added.

Reports by the U.N. mission in Afghanistan indicate the Taliban have detained, tortured, and killed former soldiers and officials of the previous U.S.-backed government. The Taliban have issued a general amnesty for former troops and government officials but deny these allegations.

"We cannot return to Afghanistan because, for the Taliban, we are already in America and will be treated as spies," explained Sadat.

"Mr. Trump, do not send us to the butchers' knives in Kabul," pleaded another Afghan, whose visa expires in two weeks.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Giles Elgood)