Latest news with #Afghans'
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Afghanistan has least hope for future in global history
By Stephen Beech Afghanistan has the lowest well-being levels in recorded history following the withdrawal of American forces, according to new research. Afghans' life satisfaction and hope for the future are both at all-time, global lows, suggest the findings. People living there reported an average life satisfaction of just 1.28, on a scale from zero to 10, following the withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country and the Taliban regaining power in 2022 - the lowest figure recorded anywhere in the world. The figure is lower than life satisfaction scores recorded in more than 170 countries since 1946, when global ratings were first calculated after World War Two. In 2022, the global mean life satisfaction rating recorded in the Gallup World Poll was 5.48, with most people in economically developed Western countries recording between six and eight, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances. Afghans also showed little hope for the future. When asked to imagine what their lives would be like in five years on the same scale, hope among Afghans fell even lower than their life satisfaction, at 1.02. The War in Afghanistan began in 2001, triggered by the United States and its allies when the Taliban government refused to surrender al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terror attacks. The subsequent conflict led to the violent deaths of more than 165,000 Afghans, while it is estimated that at least as many died due to the lack of necessities, such as food and medicine, as a result of the conflict. Study lead author Levi Stutzman, of the University of Toronto in Canada, said: "Globally, people expect their future to be better than their present. "People are optimistic about their future. "Afghanistan is quite different as Afghans have reported low life satisfaction and even lower hope, which likely reflects profound distress and despair within the country." He added: "This research shines a light on the well-being, the life satisfaction, of people who have been left behind. "They've been left behind by the United States, they've been left behind by the international community, and they've been left behind by international news organisations." The research team says their findings also underline the impacts that life circumstances and structural factors, such as war and political unrest, can have on subjective well-being. Life circumstances have previously been downplayed in leading well-being theories and models, which prioritised genetic factors and intentional activities such as exercise and practicing gratitude. Doctoral student Stutzman said: "Our own sense of well-being, our own happiness, isn't solely up to us. "A lot of it is structural." The research team analysed face-to-face interview data collected in Afghanistan over three periods: before the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 and 2019, during the U.S. withdrawal and the first month of Taliban rule in 2021, and after the U.S. withdrawal in 2022. In 2018, Afghans rated their life satisfaction at 2.69, and that did not significantly decline in 2021, during the early stages of the withdrawal of US and UK troops from Afghanistan and the first month of renewed Taliban rule. But after the U.S. withdrawal was completed and the consolidation of Taliban rule in 2022, life satisfaction in Afghanistan dropped to previously unseen levels. In 2022, nearly all Afghans reported a life satisfaction score below five, and two in three Afghans reported a life satisfaction score of either zero or one. A deeper analysis shows that women and people living in rural areas have been disproportionately affected, due to the Taliban placing increased restrictions on women's rights and rural communities lacking resources to help combat food insecurity. The research team said that the struggles facing Afghans have not been widely reported on since 2022, when thousands of them descended on the airport in Kabul desperately trying to flee their country, some clinging to the outside of aircraft trying to take off. Study co-author Dr. Felix Cheung, Assistant Professor in psychology at the University of Toronto, added: "Just because the war has ended, it doesn't mean that every problem has been solved. "That is the first step of a very long recovery process - a process that requires investments in necessities like healthcare, food and water, and infrastructure- and is informed by evidence." The post Afghanistan has least hope for future in global history appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans' deportation protection
'If they attempt to deport the Afghans, you're going to see actual physical conflict between veterans and ICE,' predicted Matt Zeller, an Army veteran who became a prominent advocate for America's Afghan allies after his interpreter saved his life. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Advocacy groups estimate that about 10,000 Afghans in the United States have been dependent on TPS while they navigate the lengthy and complex process for obtaining permanent residency, a process made all the more difficult, they say, by the absolute chaos that defined Afghanistan's collapse - and by the guidance they received from the U.S. government while trying to escape. Advertisement By declaring his intent to end these protections, President Donald Trump risks alienating a key demographic - veterans of the war - at the same time he seeks to court them politically. His administration has intensified its scrutiny of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and demanded accountability for 13 U.S. troops and an estimated 170 Afghans killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul's airport as the evacuation, hastily orchestrated by the Biden administration, raced to a tragic end. Advertisement The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Since returning to office, Trump has moved with speed and severity to eliminate legal immigration pathways, particularly humanitarian protections for those who fled crises abroad. In announcing an end to Afghans' TPS, the administration said there have been 'notable improvements' in Afghanistan under the Taliban's authoritarian rule - a claim the Afghans' advocates call fundamentally wrong. 'To me as a veteran, that's incredibly offensive,' said Andrew Sullivan, a former infantry company commander in Afghanistan who works with No One Left Behind, a veterans nonprofit that helps resettle Afghans and Iraqis who risked their lives to serve the U.S. government during its post-9/11 wars. Sullivan, who last year addressed a Republican-led congressional hearing focused on Taliban reprisals, said he has met with Afghans who were attacked or tortured because of their U.S. affiliation - including one who is now a paraplegic. The Trump administration's assessment of the safety conditions in Afghanistan, he said, is 'laughable.' 'If there was ever a country that deserves TPS,' Sullivan insisted, 'it is Afghanistan.' An international watchdog, Human Rights Watch, wrote in its 2025 report on Afghanistan that the situation there has 'worsened' over the past year as 'Taliban authorities intensified their crackdown on human rights, particularly against women and girls.' More than half the population needed urgent humanitarian assistance last year, the group found, including nearly 3 million people who faced 'emergency levels of hunger.' Advertisement CASA, Inc., a national immigrant rights organization, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to end Afghans' TPS, arguing that Noem, as homeland security secretary, failed to follow 'statutorily mandated notice procedures' and callously endangered thousands of people 'living and working lawfully in this country.' The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, where the case will be heard, has set an expedited schedule. The war's deadly endgame has been fiercely politicized. Trump tirelessly attacked President Joe Biden over the scenes of violence and despair that marked the two-week retreat from Kabul. In turn, Biden and his aides faulted Trump, who in his first term as president struck an exit deal with the Taliban that Biden maintained he was forced to carry out. Various investigations have determined that both administrations - and the two that came before them - each made costly mistakes. Many Republicans who took part in the frantic effort to rescue Afghan allies now echo Trump's skepticism about the evacuees. Since the FBI arrested an Afghan evacuee last year on charges he was planning an Islamic State-inspired Election Day attack, Trump's backers and fellow immigration hard-liners have argued, without evidence, that a broader swath of the evacuee population poses a threat to U.S. national security. Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), an Army veteran who lost both legs in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan and who convened last year's House hearing on Taliban reprisals, said he sees a stark contrast between Afghans who worked directly with U.S. forces - who he said would not be affected by the TPS termination - and those who did not. 'They're not one in the same,' Mast said in an interview. 'There's people that maybe worked on a base, maybe they worked at [TGI] Fridays on a base as a waiter or something like that. That doesn't mean that they were out on missions with me, rolling people up, right?' Advertisement The congressman said he was not immediately concerned that the Taliban might seek to execute or punish such people if they returned to Afghanistan. 'I'll think about how I feel about that,' he said. Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of groups that have worked to extricate and protect vulnerable Afghans, said he was appalled by what he called the 'political amnesia' of those such as Mast. It was only last year that the congressman 'sounded the alarm' about what might happen to America's Afghan allies if the U.S. government failed to keep its promises to protect them. 'These are real lives, not talking points. And the idea that a cook, a janitor or a mechanic at Bagram [air base] deserves less protection than a combat interpreter is both morally bankrupt and strategically foolish,' said VanDiver, a Navy veteran. 'The Taliban doesn't do performance reviews. They don't check résumés. They kill people for being associated with us.' 'These are people whose only 'crime' is having lived, learned or worked in the United States. And now, with TPS terminated and no viable pathway forward, they face an impossible choice: return to persecution or risk deportation from the very country they trusted,' he said. Many of those who escaped Afghanistan were simply lucky enough to make it through the panicked crowds thronging Kabul's airport as the Taliban closed in and began meting out violent retribution to those suspected of working with the United States, or with the Afghan government that Washington had supported. Advertisement Tens of thousands of other Afghans, who advocacy groups said were eligible for the Special Immigrant Visas reserved for those who served the U.S. mission, were left behind. Others who made it onto evacuation planes were separated from young children, their spouses or their parents, and have sought to bring them to the United States in the years since. For veterans of the war who say their survival depended on the relationships they built with Afghan partners, Trump's abrupt cancellation of deportation protections is a deeply, bitterly shameful slight. Some devoted considerable time and personal expense to help evacuate and resettled their former Afghan partners during Kabul's collapse. Advocacy groups such as No One Left Behind say they continue to urge members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to intervene. But the GOP, which holds majorities in the House and Senate, has yet to demonstrate an appetite to challenge a president who is so determined to lock down U.S. borders and ramp up deportations, no matter the means - and no matter the potential cost. The Afghans' plight gained some attention during a recent Senate hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat, appealed for clarity on Trump's plans. America's Afghan allies, she said, 'have been stranded in Qatar and Albania, and Pakistan and Afghanistan,' she said. 'Is this administration going to allow them to come to the United States as promised?' Rubio was vague in his response, citing an ongoing review. 'We are determining,' he said, 'whether we are properly vetting people.' Advertisement Advocates say the Afghans dependent on TPS include women's rights activists, journalists, humanitarian workers, and former members of the Afghan military and government who are ineligible for Special Immigrant Visas because they did not work directly for the United States. But even for those who are eligible, obtaining them has been extraordinarily difficult because many - at the urging of the Biden administration - sought to evade Taliban detection as they fled and destroyed documents showing their U.S. affiliation. 'Some of these are our closest partners, people that actually worked with us and for us, that are simply using the TPS program because that was the only option,' said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colorado), a former Army Ranger who fought in Afghanistan and was among the U.S. lawmakers who rallied to help when the evacuation was declared. 'If they're sent back to Afghanistan,' Crow said, 'it would be a death sentence for them.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Noem's claim that Afghan refugees can safely return to their homeland is 'just absurd,' advocates say
The Trump administration says Afghan refugees can safely return to Afghanistan despite warnings from rights groups and lawmakers that Afghans who worked for the U.S. military face the threat of persecution, imprisonment and even execution by the Taliban regime. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday it had stripped legal protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S., saying that the security and economic situation in Afghanistan no longer justified granting them temporary protected status, or TPS. 'We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer' prevents Afghans from returning to their home country, she said. DHS officials had previously signaled plans to cancel temporary protected status for Afghans but did not formally rescind it until Monday. Lawmakers and rights groups said the Trump administration's decision would put thousands of Afghans' lives at risk and betray partners who had risked their lives to work for the U.S. military during America's 20-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 'It's just absurd and divorced from reality to claim that Afghan refugees can safely return to Afghanistan,' said Eleanor Acer, senior director for global humanitarian protection for the nonprofit Human Rights First. 'Many Afghans would face dire risks of persecution if they are forced back into the hands of the Taliban,' Acer said. 'Journalists, human rights advocates, religious minorities, women's rights defenders and people who worked with the U.S. military and government are all in danger of Taliban persecution or retaliation if they are forced back to Afghanistan.' Kim Staffieri of the Association of Wartime Allies, a nonprofit that helps Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, said it 'is unfathomable that DHS can say the economy of Afghanistan has stabilized, that it's much safer now and that Afghans don't need TPS anymore.' Apart from reports of the Taliban's human rights abuses, aid groups say Afghanistan is plagued by rising poverty and hunger. According to the World Food Programme, 3.5 million young children are expected to suffer from malnutrition this year, the highest level ever recorded in the country. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, said the administration was jeopardizing the lives of those who had stood by the United States. 'Afghanistan is not safe,' said Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, an Army veteran who served in Iraq. 'The Taliban continues to crack down on human rights and target Afghans who speak out against them, including those who aided American servicemembers like me during the war. It's cruel and wrong that President Trump is turning his back on those fleeing violence and persecution.' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the move as a betrayal and said it contradicted 'overwhelming evidence' that Afghans with ties to the U.S. faced persecution and torture by the Taliban. 'Deporting our partners to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is morally indefensible and recklessly endangers lives,' she said. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, a former chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, praised President Donald Trump's foreign policy overall but said he was concerned for the safety of Afghan partners. The Taliban 'have made their thirst for retribution against those who helped the United States clear,' McCaul said. 'Until they demonstrate clear behavioral changes, I urge the administration to continue prioritizing the safety of the Afghan men and women who risked their lives to help our troops.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Noem's claim that Afghan refugees can safely return to their Taliban-ruled homeland is 'just absurd,' advocates say
The Trump administration says Afghan refugees can safely return to Afghanistan despite warnings from rights groups and lawmakers that Afghans who worked for the U.S. military face the threat of persecution, imprisonment and even execution by the Taliban regime. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday it had stripped legal protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S., saying that the security and economic situation in Afghanistan no longer justified granting them temporary protected status, or TPS. 'We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer' prevents Afghans from returning to their home country, she said. DHS officials had previously signaled plans to cancel temporary protected status for Afghans but did not formally rescind it until Monday. Lawmakers and rights groups said the Trump administration's decision would put thousands of Afghans' lives at risk and betray partners who had risked their lives to work for the U.S. military during America's 20-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 'It's just absurd and divorced from reality to claim that Afghan refugees can safely return to Afghanistan,' said Eleanor Acer, senior director for global humanitarian protection for the nonprofit Human Rights First. 'Many Afghans would face dire risks of persecution if they are forced back into the hands of the Taliban,' Acer said. 'Journalists, human rights advocates, religious minorities, women's rights defenders and people who worked with the U.S. military and government are all in danger of Taliban persecution or retaliation if they are forced back to Afghanistan.' Kim Staffieri of the Association of Wartime Allies, a nonprofit that helps Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, said it 'is unfathomable that DHS can say the economy of Afghanistan has stabilized, that it's much safer now and that Afghans don't need TPS anymore.' Apart from reports of the Taliban's human rights abuses, aid groups say Afghanistan is plagued by rising poverty and hunger. According to the World Food Programme, 3.5 million young children are expected to suffer from malnutrition this year, the highest level ever recorded in the country. Lawmakers, including some Republicans, said the administration was jeopardizing the lives of those who had stood by the United States. 'Afghanistan is not safe,' said Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, an Army veteran who served in Iraq. 'The Taliban continues to crack down on human rights and target Afghans who speak out against them, including those who aided American servicemembers like me during the war. It's cruel and wrong that President Trump is turning his back on those fleeing violence and persecution.' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the move as a betrayal and said it contradicted 'overwhelming evidence' that Afghans with ties to the U.S. faced persecution and torture by the Taliban. 'Deporting our partners to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is morally indefensible and recklessly endangers lives,' she said. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, a former chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, praised President Donald Trump's foreign policy overall but said he was concerned for the safety of Afghan partners. The Taliban 'have made their thirst for retribution against those who helped the United States clear,' McCaul said. 'Until they demonstrate clear behavioral changes, I urge the administration to continue prioritizing the safety of the Afghan men and women who risked their lives to help our troops.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS terminates temporary protected status program for Afghans
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the U.S. will terminate the temporary protected status program for Afghanistan, a move that could lead to the deportation of over 9,000 Afghans residing in the country. Noem said in a statement that the conditions in Afghanistan have improved sufficiently to warrant the program's termination. Afghans' temporary protected status will expire on May 20 and the elimination of the program will take effect on July 12. 'This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,' Noem said. 'We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.' Noem also claimed that the termination aligns with the Trump administration's efforts to root out fraud in the immigration system. 'The termination furthers the national interest as DHS records indicate that there are recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security,' Noem said. The TPS program provides temporary legal status and work authorization to nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Former President Joe Biden designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban's takeover and the U.S. withdrawal from the country in 2021, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans to the U.S., many under temporary 'parole' status. DHS decided to not renew expiring temporary protections for thousands of Afghans living in the U.S. last month, raising concerns about the future of Afghanistan's TPS designation. However, the Trump administration has considered exempting Christians from its campaign to deport Afghan refugees, which Christian leaders and nonprofit organizations say face persecution if sent back to the Taliban-controlled country. Refugee rights groups have condemned the administration, saying that many Afghans protected by the program have aided U.S. national security efforts. The nonprofit #AfghanEvac, which helps Afghan families resettle in the U.S., called the move 'unconscionable.' 'What the administration has done today is betray people who risked their lives for America, built lives here, and believed in our promises,' The group wrote in a post to X on Monday. The decision is part of a broader immigration crackdown that has dominated the early months of Trump's second term, including his administration's repeated efforts to terminate TPS protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans residing in the U.S. The Justice Department filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to lift a judge's order blocking the administration's plan to end TPS protections for Venezuelans earlier this month.
