Pakistan deported Afghans waiting for US resettlement – sources
Washington DC, US/Islamabad, PakistanReuters Pakistan’s huge deportation drive has forcibly repatriated scores of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States, an advocacy group and Afghan applicants say, adding that Pakistani authorities often ignored US embassy letters of protection. That complicates the efforts of such Afghans, as the US has shuttered its embassy in Kabul and […]
Keeping lights off: Undocumented Afghans go underground in Pakistan
Karachi, Pakistan Reuters After living in Pakistan for years, thousands of Afghans have gone into hiding to escape a government order to expel undocumented foreigners because they fear persecution under a Taliban administration in their homeland, rights activists say. “The gate is locked from the outside… we are locked inside, we can’t come out, we […]
Pakistan starts rounding up undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, ahead of deadline
Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Pakistani authorities began rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of them Afghans, on Wednesday, ahead of a midnight deadline for them to leave or face expulsion. The removal of people to temporary holding centres began a day earlier than previously announced. The interior ministry said 140,322 people had already voluntarily left after days […]
Mass expulsion: Afghans return to Taliban rule as Pakistan moves to expel 1.7 million
ARIBA SHAHID and CHARLOTTE GREENFIELD, of Reuters, reports on Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants…
Pakistan to start expelling undocumented immigrants on Thursday – minister
Islamabad Reuters Pakistan will start rounding up and expelling undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of people from neighbouring Afghanistan, on Thursday, the caretaker government’s interior minister said. Islamabad announced the plan earlier this month, saying Afghan nationals had been behind attacks, smuggling and other crimes in its territory. Kabul dismissed the accusations and rights groups […]
Pakistan orders illegal immigrants, including 1.73 million Afghans, to leave
Islamabad, PakistanReuters Pakistan on Tuesday ordered all illegal immigrants, including 1.73 million Afghan nationals, to leave the country or face expulsion after revealing that 14 of 24 suicide bombings in the country this year were carried out by Afghan nationals. It was not immediately clear how Pakistani authorities could ensure the illegal immigrants leave, or […]
Lifestory: How helping a family seeking asylum changed our church group
BILL LAWRENCE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, writes that the Afghan family opened his church’s eyes to how dangerous – and dehumanising – the asylum process could be…
Afghans in UAE facility are “psychologically suffering”, Canada refugee says
Toronto, CanadaReuters Afghans living in a makeshift refugee camp in the United Arab Emirates staged demonstrations this week protesting the uncertainty of their status, participants told Reuters, and one refugee now in Canada said they are “psychologically suffering.” Residents in the camp, called Emirates Humanitarian City, have been housed there awaiting transfer to another country […]
Number of people illegally in EU grew 22 per cent in 2021 – Eurostat
Reuters The number of people found to be illegally present in the European Union increased by 22 per cent to reach nearly 700,000 in 2021, according to European statistics office data released on Thursday. Syrians made up the largest number, followed by Algerians and Afghans. The number of Afghans increased by about 55 per cent […]
Essay: This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for refugee resettlement in the US
US refugee resettlement agency heads MARK HETFIELD, RICHARD L SANTOS and KRISH O’MARA VIGNARAJAH say refugee resettlement has always been a public-private partnership, relying on the generosity of American communities who come together and welcome newcomers…