Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — In a dramatic last-minute intervention, former U.S. President Donald Trump has stopped the deportation of a group of Afghan interpreters and soldiers who served alongside American forces during the war in Afghanistan. The individuals, including men, women, and children, were facing forced repatriation from the United Arab Emirates to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan — a return many feared could result in imprisonment or execution.
According to senior U.S. officials, Trump personally ordered his team to act after media reports highlighted the interpreters’ looming deportation. Over the weekend, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles engaged in emergency talks with UAE authorities. Within hours, a deal was struck to allow the group of 32 Afghans to remain safely in Abu Dhabi while the U.S. government vets them for possible relocation to the United States or other allied nations.
“At the President’s direction, the Vice President and other members of the administration worked with the government of the UAE to ensure these individuals could stay for a period in the UAE,” a senior White House official said. “We’ll work with the UAE and others to thoroughly vet these translators and find them a long-term home.”
The urgent action was prompted in part by reports from inside the refugee camp in Abu Dhabi, where Afghan residents had been held for nearly four years. Last week, UAE security officials reportedly began confiscating passports and ordering the group to prepare for deportation, triggering widespread panic. Survivors described being forced from their shelters and given no explanation beyond an imminent return to Afghanistan.
The timing of the incident further intensified fears. A recent investigation by The Telegraph revealed that over 200 Afghan soldiers and police officers had been killed by the Taliban after a data leak in the UK exposed their identities. Many of the victims had worked directly with U.S. and NATO forces during the 20-year conflict.
Though the Biden administration had initially pledged to protect Afghan allies after the chaotic withdrawal in 2021, the group stranded in UAE said they felt abandoned. “The Secretary of State is personally committed to keeping our promises to those who stood by us in Afghanistan and to relocating them safely,” the Biden State Department had written in earlier communication. Yet the group said little action followed.
The UAE had long hosted the Afghan military refugees, allowing them to reside in a special facility in Abu Dhabi while awaiting immigration processing. But with international attention fading and options narrowing, authorities in the Gulf state began discussions of forced return — prompting alarm among human rights advocates and Western military veterans alike.
According to individuals inside the camp, the refugee population once numbered in the thousands but had steadily dwindled as many were resettled to the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Those remaining had already passed through parts of the U.S. vetting process, with some awaiting the final steps before resettlement.
Trump’s direct involvement, however, has now renewed hope for the remaining group. In a social media post Sunday, he declared: “I will try to save them, starting right now.” Within 24 hours, his administration had secured a temporary reprieve for the group and initiated new vetting procedures.
The intervention underscores lingering consequences from the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, which has left thousands of Afghan allies in limbo or in danger. While political leaders in Washington continue to debate immigration and refugee policy, many of those who risked their lives supporting the West now wait anxiously to see if Trump’s efforts will provide them the safe haven they were once promised.
For those still stranded, the stakes couldn’t be higher. “We did everything they asked,” one Afghan interpreter said from the UAE camp. “We followed every instruction, trusted every promise. Now, all we want is safety — and not to be sent back to die.”
