Office overseeing Afghan resettlement in US told to start planning closure

WASHINGTON: The State Department office overseeing the resettlement of Afghans in the United States has been told to develop plans to close by April, according to a US official, a leading advocate and two sources familiar with the directive, a move that could deny up to an estimated 200,000 people new lives in America.

Family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war are among those who could be turned away if the office is shut, the advocate and the US official said.

“Shutting this down would be a national disgrace, a betrayal of our Afghan allies, of the veterans who fought for them, and of America’s word,” said Shawn VanDiver, founder of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups and others that coordinates resettlements with the US government. The White House and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.