Key Points

The executive order, signed on Wednesday, has sparked alarm among refugee communities and rights organizations. AfghanEvac, a refugee assistance group, condemned the move as a "political performance," calling it a "moral disgrace and insult" to US allies and veterans. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) also labeled the order "inhumane and unjust," stating it arbitrarily separates families already suffering years of displacement and conflict, according to Khaama Press.

Jim Ray, an Afghan refugee advocate based in Colombia, warned that the ban will indefinitely separate many Afghan families. "The return of the Taliban already changed US engagement with Afghanistan," he said. "We must wait and see how this ban will be implemented in practice."

Mohammad Sharafuddin, who sought asylum in the US nearly nine years ago, had long hoped to bring his nephew to safety. "It was shocking to hear Afghanistan included," he told ABC News, referencing the ongoing suffering of Afghan women under Taliban rule. "I'm not ready to call him. It's devastating news. He's anxious and wants to come. I don't know how to explain this to him," he added.

Critics argue the ban betrays Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and contradicts American values of humanitarian commitment. Rights groups and former diplomats are now urging the Biden administration to reassess and potentially reverse the executive order, Khaama Press reported.

For many Afghan families caught in limbo, the clock is ticking to escape persecution and rebuild their lives in the United States, Khaama Press added.

- ANI