ANAHEIM: Afghans who worked alongside US troops during almost two decades of war were once promised a home in the United States to shelter them from the extremist intolerance of the Taliban.&nbsp; But after two National Guard soldiers were shot -- one of them fatally -- in Washington last month, allegedly by an Afghan national, their fates have been put on hold, and many are now terrified about what the future might bring. &lsquo;Everybody is scared&rsquo;&ldquo;Everybody is scared,&rdquo; a 31-year-old Afghan green card holder told AFP. &ldquo;We are scared that we will be judged by people for the crimes committed by one individual from Afghanistan.&rdquo; West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her wounds after what officials described as an &ldquo;ambush-style&rdquo; attack that also left fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, fighting for his life. The following day President Donald Trump announced he was halting all migration from what he called &ldquo;third world countries,&rdquo; including Afghanistan, as his administration announced a review of all residency grants for people from 19 countries -- around 1.6 million people, according to an AFP tally. Afghans fear being sent back&nbsp;Now Afghans fear they might be sent back to a nation run by extremists who they once worked to defeat. &ldquo;I made my home in America, now this is my home. If I leave here where I have to go then?&rdquo; sobbed Maryam. Like all Afghan nationals AFP spoke to for this story, Maryam did not want to be identified for fear of angering US immigration authorities. &ldquo;When I sleep my chest feels very painful, empty,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I feel like I belong to nowhere.&rdquo; The 27-year-old worked on projects for the US embassy in Kabul, where she helped produce education materials that she says cast the Taliban in a bad light. &lsquo;Big dreams&rsquo;&nbsp;When the American-led international force was there, her country began to modernize, giving rights to women that their mothers did not have. &ldquo;I did education, I had a big dreams for my country, for myself,&rdquo; she said from her home outside Los Angeles. But in August 2021, the last US troops hurriedly withdrew from Afghanistan as the Taliban ran riot, taking over the institutions that American taxpayers had spent billions of dollars to prop up. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans scrambled to leave the country, terrified that the Taliban would exact revenge on anyone who had helped the West. &lsquo;No water, food, nothing&rsquo;&ldquo;It was so difficult to get into the airport,&rdquo; said Khan, who describes printing out dozens of documents, including proof that his wife was a US citizen living in California. &ldquo;There was no water, no food, nothing. And we spent four days in there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was too cold during the night.&rdquo; Khan, who worked in a university and at a government bank, finally got a plane to Qatar, then on to Germany before being flown to New Jersey, where he underwent two months of background checks and processing. &ldquo;We truly thank United States. They helped us a lot to come... and rebuild our life here.&rdquo; <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Everything is paused&rsquo;</h2>Khan says he worked day and night in Anaheim, California to save money, often doing two jobs, and now has his own used car dealership. He has also bought a triplex, part of which he rents out to provide a source of income, and secured his green card for permanent US residency. &ldquo;I was about to apply to my citizenship by the end of December, but unfortunately, after the incident in Washington DC, everything is paused,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Everybody is scared, whoever is having like a green card, a parole status, or they have applied for asylum or whatever status they have, all of them are scared. &lsquo;Committed to America&rsquo;&quot;We had a lot of dreams, and now every day everything becomes more difficult, and our dreams are, like, going the other way.&rdquo; For Maryam, who works for an NGO in California&#39;s Orange County, all she wants is to be able to get her green card application back on track, and for her community to be treated fairly. &ldquo;What the person did does not represent us,&rdquo; she said of the shooter in Washington. &ldquo;We are all committed to America; we are not the traitor, we are the survivor.&rdquo;

Americas

In August 2021, the last US troops hurriedly withdrew from Afghanistan as the Taliban ran riot, taking over the institutions that American taxpayers had spent billions of dollars to prop up.

US Afghans in limbo after Washington soldier attack

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Democratic lawmakers called for US Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem&rsquo;s resignation Thursday as she defended the Trump administration&rsquo;s mass deportation program at a fiery congressional hearing. &ldquo;You promised America that you would go after the worst of the worst,&rdquo; Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner said. But the vast immigration crackdown launched under Republican President Donald Trump has swept up veterans of the US military, their relatives, pregnant women, children and even some American citizens, Magaziner said. &lsquo;Problems&rsquo; with Noem&rsquo;s leadership&nbsp;&ldquo;There are many problems with your leadership but the biggest problem is this: You don&#39;t seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys,&rdquo; he told the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, which was interrupted by demonstrators on several occasions.<figure id="isPasted"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/52d941e5-29a9-4c99-9b91-6f44631f6938-ICE-raids.jpg" alt="ICE-raids.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><figcaption>NEW ORLEANS: A US Customs and Border Patrol agent takes a photograph of a vehicle during operations in Kenner, Louisiana, on December 8, 2025. -- Photo by AFP/Adam Gray</figcaption></figure>The panel&rsquo;s ranking Democrat Bennie Thompson said Noem has &ldquo;diverted resources from critical Homeland Security agencies and programs to carry out an extreme immigration agenda.&rdquo; &lsquo;Racial profiling&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Black and brown Americans in particular, have been racially profiled, detained and locked up,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;So rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign,&rdquo; he said, echoing a call Democrats have made for months as ICE has raided major cities.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1999140391094833242&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=9c2e435bda59bbbac982e7528e199d336563d88f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In June, after Senator Alex Padilla was tackled and cuffed at a press conference Noem held in Los Angeles, Senator Elizabeth Warren and others demanded she step down. &lsquo;Potentially impeachable actions&rsquo;In Thursday&#39;s hearing, Representative Delia C Ramirez told Noem &ldquo;your options are limited. Either you&rsquo;re going to resign, Trump&rsquo;s going to fire you, or you will be impeached.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1999186500353700081&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=9c2e435bda59bbbac982e7528e199d336563d88f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Ramirez, who represents the midwestern city of Chicago which has seen numerous ICE raids, also made a formal request for the House Judiciary Committee to open an investigation into Noem&#39;s &ldquo;unlawful and potentially impeachable actions.&rdquo; While Democrats lambasted Noem and the Trump administration, Republicans praised her department for securing the US-Mexico border and rounding up undocumented migrants for deportation. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Noem defends tactics&nbsp;</h2>Noem defended the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and accused the administration of Democrat Joe Biden of allowing &ldquo;millions of people to come into our country illegally.&rdquo; She denied US citizens have been detained although she said there have been occasions when they were held until their identity could be confirmed. &ldquo;We have never once detained or deported an American citizen,&rdquo; Noem said. &ldquo;(When) we are doing our targeted enforcement operations against criminal illegal aliens, individuals that are in that area may be detained until we verify who they are, and then they are released.&rdquo; Trump ran for the White House promising to deport millions of undocumented migrants and Noem, as head of the Department of Homeland Security, oversees the operation.

Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson said Noem has 'diverted resources from critical Homeland Security agencies and programs to carry out an extreme immigration agenda. Black and brown Americans in particular, have been racially profiled, detained and locked up.'

Articles tagged with "Immigrants"

US Afghans in limbo after Washington soldier attack

Democrats grill US homeland security chief over immigration crackdown

US Afghans in limbo after Washington soldier attack