30-05-2025
Trump Could Be Sending Afghan Christians To Their Death, Group Warns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
One of Donald Trump's latest immigration moves could be sending Afghan Christians to die at the hands of the Taliban, an anti-Christian persecution group has warned.
Trump's administration took steps to remove protections for thousands of Afghan refugees earlier this month, asking them to self-deport and officially terminating their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amid an ongoing immigration crackdown.
International Christian Concern (ICC), a non-profit that supports Christians facing discrimination for their faith around the world, is worried that this will force Afghan Christians to return to the Taliban, where their lives could be in danger.
ICC President Jeff King told Newsweek how, after the Taliban took power in 2021, it "conducted door-to-door searches, checking phones for Christian materials, and offered bounties for the betrayal of Christians so they could be executed or tortured for apostasy."
"It's unlikely that President Trump has fully considered the specific plight of these converts, given the broader focus of his administration on vital immigration enforcement and border security priorities," he said.
When Newsweek put this warning to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it was told that "any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum."
The Context
Afghan nationals were granted TPS, a program that allows people affected by war, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work in the United States for a limited period, after the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
The Trump administration announced on May 12 that this program would be terminated on July 14 after concluding that "the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety."
"This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,"DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement at the time. "We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation."
The Danger Christians Face in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is considered by activists to be one of the most dangerous places for Christians. In the ICC's Global Persecution Index, the country is classed in the highest danger category – the Red Zone, "where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith."
Open Doors, a different charity that monitors the persecution of Christians around the world, puts Afghanistan at number 10 on its World Watch List.
The International Christian Concern's Global Persecution Index showing Afghanistan in the Red Zone"where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith."
The International Christian Concern's Global Persecution Index showing Afghanistan in the Red Zone"where Christians are regularly tortured or killed for their faith."
International Christian Concern
King, who has worked with the ICC to smuggle Christians out of Afghanistan, said, "Afghanistan under Taliban rule is a uniquely hostile environment for believers."
"The Taliban's persecution is systematic," he told Newsweek. "They hunt converts through phone surveillance, reward informants, and subject believers to execution, imprisonment or — for women — forced marriage and enslavement. Having facilitated the escape of Christians prior to and during the Taliban's 2021 takeover, I know the risks firsthand.
"While I support the administration's commitment to securing our borders, a broad deportation policy endangers many Afghan refugees in the U.S., including hundreds of Christian converts," King added.
He believes Trump would "reconsider and adjust his policy if these realities were brought directly to the President."
A White House spokesperson told Newsweek: "Any individual who fears persecution from the Taliban is able to apply for asylum to remain in the United States. Temporary Protected Status, by definition, is temporary and committed to the discretion of the DHS Secretary."
What Could Trump Do To Protect Afghan Christians?
King and the ICC have called for "a 90-day pause on deportations to allow collaboration with Congress and the administration to reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or expedite asylum for those facing religious persecution."
The ICC says it "recognizes the need for immigration control and notes that some non-Christians, not at risk, entered the U.S. during efforts to extract persecuted Afghan Christians" but insists that "most of these refugees fled genuine Taliban threats."
Donald Trump pictured at at a campaign event at 180 Church, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Detroit.
Donald Trump pictured at at a campaign event at 180 Church, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Detroit.
AP
It wants the administration to "adopt targeted policies" to ensure specific pathways for Afghan Christians – both in the United States and still in Afghanistan.
In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "Although TPS was terminated as required by law, any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum.
"All aliens who have had their TPS or parole terminated or are otherwise in the country unlawfully should take advantage of the CBP Home self-deportation process to receive a free one-way plane ticket and $1,000 financial assistance to help them resettled elsewhere."
