Afghans in Pakistan awaiting US resettlement feel betrayal after Trump order

ISLAMABAD: A decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to halt visa processing for refugees has caused uncertainty and shock at an English school for Afghans in Islamabad who are awaiting resettlement in the United States.

Normally enthusiastic students were quiet or crying in class after the news broke on Tuesday, said Sayed Hasib ullah, a 20-year old teacher whose application for resettlement in the U.S is in process.

Some feel betrayed, with many - including those who fled Taliban rule in Afghanistan - having already spent years in limbo.

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“It was really a horrible moment for us. We have been waiting for almost three years and there is no hope anymore,” he told Reuters at the school in Pakistan’s capital.

The sudden delay has upended the plans of many Afghans in Pakistan and left them in despair after undergoing extensive vetting and making preparations for new lives in the US In an intermediate language class, about half of which had US visa applications in process, a 16 year-old girl broke down in tears.