Donald Trump has frequently poured scorn on those who served in the US military.
Even though he avoided serving after obtaining a note from a friendly doctor who said he had bone spurs, he famously mocked late Republican John McCain, the 2008 presidential candidate and a prisoner-of-war, saying he preferred people who did not get captured.
He would later stun his chief of staff, former Marine General John Kelly, during a visit to France for the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I, when he allegedly claimed those who gave their lives were “suckers” and “losers”.
Now, the US President appears to be displaying similar disregard for thousands of Afghans who worked with the US and British military over a period of two decades, often putting not only their lives at risk but those of their families.
This week, Trump announced citizens from 19 countries would be either banned from entering the US or face restrictions.
Among those countries was Afghanistan, from which the US chaotically withdrew in August 2021 and which has since been ruled by the hardline Taliban, which has clamped down on women’s rights, and where citizens face a dire economic crisis.
The move may have pleased some Trump supporters, but it has infuriated those who have been working to bring to the US, large numbers of Afghans who believe they are in mounting danger the longer they stay there.
For several years, a number of groups, made of former military personnel and religious organisations, have been smoothing the way for new arrivals who have successfully obtained the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV. (There are similar groups in the UK, and the Royal British Legion is among those organisations to say Britain should “honour its commitment”.)
Shawn Vandiver, founder of #AfghanEvac, denounced the announcement as “political theatre”, saying it “disproportionately affects families and individuals seeking lawful entry into the US”.
The group claimed Trump waited to announce the measure until after the attack in Boulder, Colorado, where an Egyptian national, whose work permit expired earlier this year, attacked a group of Jewish community members marching in support of the hostages held by Hamas.
“Let’s call it what it is – a second Muslim Ban, dressed up in bureaucracy,” said #AfghanEvac. “It was delayed until a moment of public grief and fear could be exploited for maximum political cover. That’s not leadership. It’s opportunism.”
VanDiver, who served in the US Navy, said Trump had left open a narrow window by not scrapping the entire SIV programme but said it would block entry of many others, including family members of an evacuee, or someone separated from loved ones already in America.
“This policy punishes people who escaped the Taliban, risked everything to support democracy, are already vetted [and] were told by the US government to wait,” he wrote on X. “They’re not threats. They’re our allies—and they’re being left behind.”
He added: “This wasn’t charity. It was a promise. This ban breaks that promise.”Trump campaigned for reelection with a vow to oversee mass deportations as a key policy.
Polls suggest support for his immigration policies has declined, with an April survey for ABC News and the Washington Post showing 53 per cent disapproved and 46 per cent backed what he was doing.
In regard to the Afghans, however, there is overwhelming support to help individuals who helped America’s 20-year occupation of the country, launched by George W Bush, in the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda attacks of 9/11.
A survey conducted by Ipsos for With Honour Action, another organisation working to help Afghans, found 80 per cent backed resettlement. The support was bipartisan, with both Democrats and Republicans approving such a move.Last month, the Trump administration announced it was ending what was called the Temporary Protected Status programme for people from Afghanistan, meaning as many as 9,000 refugees may have to return there.
It did so after deciding conditions in Afghanistan had improved sufficiently, even though nations such as the UK, the US and others have not felt it safe to reopen their embassies.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote: “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevents [people] from returning to their home country.”
Many have questioned the veracity of such claims and whether they’re being made simply for political convenience.
A report last summer by UNESCO found “1.4 million Afghan girls have been deliberately deprived of schooling” since the Taliban took control.
Another UN report from April 2025 found 75 per cent of Afghans struggled “to meet their daily needs”.
“The UN Development Programme’s current analysis and new data indicate the continuation of a deeply troubling trajectory for the Afghan people, who have been grappling with extreme vulnerability over the past decade,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General.
Will Trump care about any of this? Probably not.
But he would be wise to pay attention to the public’s view that America should stand by its promises and honour the commitment it made to Afghans.
This sense of “not leaving someone behind” runs deeply through military culture.
A poll of the 2024 election found Trump won the support of 61 per cent of those who had served, while Kamala Harris received 37 per cent.
It is estimated the US is home to as many as six million former military personnel. It is clear a number of them are not happy with what Trump has done and they plan to continue make their voices heard loud and clear.
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