Afghans in Kentucky fear for future after Trump strips deportation protections

Afghan asylum-seeker Wazir Khan Zadran and his family arrived in Kentucky nearly four years ago as the US military withdrew from his country. Now, he worries about the future of his children, especially his girls, if they are forced to return to Afghanistan.

The Trump administration said it will end Temporary Protected Status for Afghans in July -- raising the threat of being sent back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban rule according to Islamic law, if their asylum case is unsuccessful.

"The future of children is bright here and they can study here, they can have a good future here. If we go back to my country, they are not good, especially for the girls," Zadran said. "They cannot go to school, they cannot go to university, they can do nothing. So, I hope they will do some things for the refugees of Afghanistan."

Zadran was a tribal leader who fought 20 years ago against the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the Taliban. He and his family were picked up in a helicopter by Americans in 2021 and taken to the Kabul airport for travel to the US.

His oldest daughter Zuleikha is now preparing for college next year, but without permanent status in the US, the risk of deportation looms over her. The Zadrans' asylum application is pending, which means they can remain in the US until a final decision is made on their case.

TPS is available to people already in the US who cannot return to their home countries due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extraordinary events. The Trump administration has moved to terminate the status for some 14,600 Afghans as well as hundreds of thousands from Venezuela and other nations.

"I discuss with my girls that you are lucky that you are here, that you are going to school, then you will finish school and go to college," Zadran said.

"But if we were in Afghanistan, they will not have this right. Their future will be dark. But, in my country, the future of girls is so dark, it’s so bad for them."

The Taliban administration has barred girls over the age of 12 from school and women from university and has placed restrictions on women travelling long distances without a male guardian. The Taliban says it respects women's rights in line with its interpretation of Islamic law.

Zuleikha Zadran is happy she has graduated from high school and is heading to college with a scholarship, despite her fears.

"Lately, I have been worried because people are saying that those without documents might be deported," she said.

"I am scared that it will make my future dark, but even with that fear, I am proud of what I have achieved. And I am full of hope for what's ahead."

Afghans in the US can still request asylum, the Trump administration says.

"Although TPS was terminated as required by law, any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum," said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, adding that those with TPS revoked can apply for financial assistance to get resettled elsewhere.

'REALLY WORRIED'

More than 70,000 Afghans entered the US under former President Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome initiative following the Taliban takeover in 2021, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

Over 300 settled in Bowling Green, an agricultural and manufacturing city that has received refugees over the decades from Cambodians to Bosnians to Congolese.

Unlike some other immigrant communities, Afghan families in Bowling Green aren’t looking back — their investments and dreams are firmly rooted in the US.

One such family, the Habibis, bought a house here. Wahida Habibi speaks fluent English, has a wide circle of friends locally, works at a bakery with her husband and two years ago gave birth to a baby boy.

Zadran, meanwhile, works at a car dealership and is learning the business with the goal of opening his own soon. His main complaint is only that legal status cannot come fast enough — he initially thought that would happen in less than a year.

"And the last three years … I was like what’s going on?" said Zadran.

Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinated resettlements of Afghans with the US government, said Republicans need to stand up to Trump so that Afghans are not forced to return to a country where their lives are in danger.

"The Taliban hasn’t changed. The threats haven’t changed," he said. "The only thing that has changed is the guy who sits behind the Resolute Desk."

People who worked with the Afghans on resettlement said the fear is palpable.

"The immigrant community, and especially the Afghans who have resettled a couple of years ago are really worried with all that’s going on with immigration," said Albert Mbanfu, executive director of the International Center of Kentucky which helps resettle refugees.

Another Afghan asylum-seeker, Mohamed Azizi, said he is stressed.

"We worry because right now the situation in my country is so bad and we worry about going back and starting life from the beginning," said Azizi.