Pakistan, June 6 -- The hopes of numerous Afghan nationals seeking resettlement in the United States from Pakistan were dashed as President Donald Trump issued a directive reimposing a travel restriction on citizens from 12 nations, with Afghanistan among them.
The list of prohibited nations includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The administration under President Trump justified this ban due to worries about "foreign terrorists" and potential security risks. Furthermore, travelers coming from another set of seven countries—namely Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—will encounter limited travel constraints.
As of June 9, 2025, the restriction will not impact visas granted prior to this date; however, it will stop further entries into the country for individuals from certain nations. This directive forms part of Trump’s larger initiative to tighten immigration policies during his second term.
This restriction severely impacts the approximately 10,000 to 15,000 Afghans presently stuck in Pakistan. Many of these individuals collaborated with coalition forces during the Afghanistan conflict and have been awaiting special immigrant visas ever since the U.S. pullout and Taliban control began in 2021.
Trump stressed national security as the main rationale for this decision, pointing out concerns such as insufficient screening processes, weak collaboration on visa safety measures, and cases of violent incidents, including a recent arson attack targeting supporters of Israel.
Neither the Taliban-controlled Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor Pakistan’s foreign office have replied to queries regarding the consequences of this ban on Afghans stuck in Pakistan.
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