A number of prominent Democratic figures in the US Congress have written a letter to the new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, asking Washington to resume the programme of transferring Afghan refugees to the United States.
They also called for the continuation of services to Afghan refugees in the United States.
On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the programme for accepting asylum seekers and foreign aid.
With the suspension of the programme, thousands of Afghans awaiting hearing in various countries, including Pakistan and Albania, are left without a fate.
In addition, government services, such as financial and food assistance, to Afghans who have been transferred to the United States have also been affected by the order.
The US secretary of state has ordered resettlement agencies to halt their programmes, and federal funding to these organisations has been suspended. This comes as Trump said at the signing of the new immigration deportation law that he is quite serious about getting illegal immigrants out of the country.
Democratic members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on Wednesday sent a letter to their former Senate colleague Marco Rubio urging him to use his influence to lift the suspension of resettlement services for Afghan refugees. The lawmakers argued that these services would help refugees live in the United States.
In addition, they said that this type of assistance to eligible refugees does not fall into the category of foreign assistance because it is provided to people inside the United States, not outside the country.
They also pointed to the 32,000 Afghan refugees who will be transferred to the United States in 2025 through the Refugee Admissions Programme who are still eligible for government assistance.
"The cease-and-desist order violates the legal obligations that the State Department has fulfilled under its contracts with US-based organisations," the Democratic lawmakers said.
The suspension of government aid "exposes Afghan refugees to homelessness and food insecurity", they said with concern.
The Trump administration is reviewing all federal loans and assistance to domestic agencies, including resettlement agencies.
The US government has also said that Afghan refugees who were former US government partners in Afghanistan have not been properly screened. Therefore, Washington has "temporarily" suspended their transfer programme.
