According to Emirati officials, the United Arab Emirates has commenced the deportation of Afghan nationals who were provided temporary shelter during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. News agencies report that the UAE has formally notified the U.S. government of its decision, with the repatriation process having begun on July 10.
These Afghans were relocated to the UAE at the request of the U.S. government following the fall of Kabul in 2021. Previously, Iran also deported thousands of Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump stated he would assist Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after they fled their country when the United States withdrew and the Taliban assumed power. Trump, a Republican who had previously promised a significant immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after taking office in January. In April, the Trump administration ended temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S.
“I will try to save them, starting right now,” Trump posted on Truth Social, linking to an article about the Afghans held in limbo there. Trump cited the news website “Just the News,” which reported that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed this report. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily host several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the U.S.-backed government during the final stages of the U.S.-led withdrawal. Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been brought to the U.S. by former President Joe Biden’s administration since the chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Kabul.
In 2022, Canada agreed to resettle approximately 1,000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE following a U.S. request. The precise number remaining in the Gulf country is currently unclear.
Some nations have compelled Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. The United Nations reported last week that nearly 2 million Afghans were repatriated from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months. On Friday, Germany deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amidst a tightening of refugee admissions. Other European countries are also pushing to strengthen asylum rules within the bloc.
In the United States, Democrats have urged Trump to reinstate temporary protected status for Afghans, asserting that women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government, which has been in power since 2021. These refugees include family members of Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, children cleared for reunification with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted, and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, implored Trump to follow through on his post with concrete action. “President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind,” he stated.
