"You Promised Us Safety.": How the U.S. is Abandoning Afghan Refugees

"You Promised Us Safety.": How the U.S. is Abandoning Afghan Refugees

Thousands of Afghans who once supported the U.S. government were promised refuge in the United States after the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, in 2021. The Trump administration has broken that promise, leaving Afghan refugees in a state of uncertainty and is reportedly considering deporting them to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.S. government has further harmed Afghans by suspending special refugee resettlement programs and eliminating U.S. foreign aid funding to organizations in Afghanistan. In this episode, we hear from a young woman who the U.S. has left stranded in Qatar with her family and over a thousand other Afghan allies. She talks about the struggles of living in a state of limbo and how she hopes to rebuild her life in the United States. Then, we meet with Rina Amiri, former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, to learn about how the Trump administration's policy shifts have harmed Afghan families, undermined U.S. credibility on the global stage, and enabled the Taliban to impose a gender apartheid in Afghanistan. Timed Takeaways: [06:20] The realities of one family's experience fleeing Afghanistan [10:42] Living in limbo in Camp As Sayliyah [16:31] The shocking possibility that the U.S. might deport Afghans to DRC [20:56] Broken promises and one Afghan's hope to pursue her education in the U.S. [27:19] The toolkit the USG once had, and now dismantled, to support Afghan women and girls [35:25] The Trump administration's brutal betrayal of Afghan allies and its implications for U.S. strategic interests [45:49] How the United States' retreat has empowered the Taliban in its persecution of women [51:31] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Budget Hearing – Department of State and Related Programs [https://appropriations.house.gov/schedule/hearings/budget-hearing-department-state-and-related-programs-0] - House Appropriations Committee Primer: The Ongoing U.S. Betrayal of Afghan Wartime Allies [https://afghanevac.org/primer] - #AfghanEvac Camp As Sayliyah Overview [https://afghanevac.org/cas] - #AfghanEvac Afghans Who Helped U.S. Forces Say They're Being Pushed Back to the Taliban [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/world/asia/afghans-qatar-refugees-congo.html] – New York Times US moved over 1,000 refugees to Doha base. War has brought it into crosshairs [https://abcnews.com/International/us-moved-1000-refugees-base-doha-2-years/story?id=131322069] - ABC "No One Cares About Us Anymore": How U.S. Aid Cuts Have Intensified the Crisis for Women and Girls in Afghanistan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/no-one-cares-about-us-anymore/] - Refugees International The United States Is Betraying Its Afghan Allies. The World Will Take Note. [https://thediplomat.com/2026/04/the-united-states-is-betraying-its-afghan-allies-the-world-will-take-note/] - The Diplomat Champions of the Golden Valley [https://www.olympics.com/en/films/champions-of-the-golden-valley] - Olympics.com [http://olympics.com] Rubio slams USAID, refutes numbers of children dead from cuts [https://www.devex.com/news/rubio-slams-usaid-refutes-numbers-of-children-dead-from-cuts-112668] - Devex A Generational Collapse: Tracking the Toll of Trump's Humanitarian Aid Cuts [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/a-generational-collapse-tracking-the-toll-of-trumps-humanitarian-aid-cuts/?emci=6cda7a71-1b09-f111-832e-0022482a9733&emdi=05198f4b-2509-f111-832e-0022482a9733&ceid=5773183] - Refugees International US has accepted almost 6,000 refugees this year – and all are South Africans after Trump prioritised whites [https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/refugees-white-south-africans-trump-b2991749.html] - The Independent Trump Benefit Freeze for Travel Ban Countries Found Unlawful [https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/trump-benefit-freeze-for-travel-ban-countries-found-unlawful] - Bloomberg Law Tell the White House: Keep Our Promise to Refugees [https://support.refugeesinternational.org/a/tell-white-house-keep-our-promise-refugees] - Refugees International Register for Refugees International World Refugee Day Events [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/events/] - Refugees International If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Devon Cone, Mohammed Naeem, Priyali Sur, and Shawn VanDiver.

"They're everything it means to be American": Protecting Refugees in Minneapolis with Major Jacob Frey

Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's aggressive anti-immigrant operation across the Minneapolis–St. Paul region in Minnesota, brutalized members of the local community, including lawful refugees, immigrants, and American citizens alike. At this year's Refugees International Advocacy Awards, we presented the McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award to Mayor Jacob Frey, whose courageous leadership protected refugees and community members in the face of ICE and CBP's assaults across Minneapolis. In this episode, we hear from Mayor Frey about the city's legacy of welcoming refugees and immigrants, what it was like living through Operation Metro Surge, and the power of community action and local emergency response. Timed Takeaways: [02:36] The social fabric of the city of Minneapolis and the integral role of refugees and migrants [07:44] On the ground during Operation Metro Surge [14:32] Mounting a local response: municipal tools, mutual aid groups, and the power of a welcoming community [22:25] The obstacles to engaging the Trump administration and the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens [29:33] Accountability for ICE and CBP abuses [31:49] Honoring the contributions of refugees and migrants in Minneapolis and the harms of scapegoating immigrant communities [36:00] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Minneapolis grapples with the impact of Trump's largest immigration crackdown yet [https://www.npr.org/2026/05/05/nx-s1-5801473/minneapolis-immigrants-grapple-with-economic-impact-of-operation-metro-surge] - NPR Refugees International Celebrates Frontline Leadership at 2026 Advocacy Awards, Honoring Mayor Jacob Frey and Palestinian Healthcare Workers in Gaza [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-celebrates-frontline-leadership-at-2026-advocacy-awards/] - Refugees International The Team Meticiously Tracking ICE Deportations to Third Countries [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6R9RsIhaqWD4Z2J5oK4vs7?si=a790c7c11e60479c] - This Week on ICE This Week on ICE Podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/7GYdFwBzv5vQYBkTVrtA9b] - Spotify Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/the-neighbors-defending-minnesota-from-ice/685769/] - The Atlantic Strong Majority of U.S. Voters Support Refugee Resettlement as Administration Plans to Slash Program by Nearly 95 Percent [https://www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/strong-majority-of-us-likely-voters-support-refugee-resettlement] - Refugee Advocacy Lab State Violence and Community Resistance in Minnesota [https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/11/state-violence-and-community-resistance-in-minnesota] - Human Rights Watch ICE agent charged in shooting of immigrant during Minneapolis crackdown [https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/05/18/ice-agent-charged-shooting-immigrant-during-minneapolis-crackdown/] - Washington Post From Bogotá to El Fasher: The UAE's Role in the Deployment of Colombian Fighters and Other Backing to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan [https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/05/25/from-bogota-to-el-fasher/the-uaes-role-in-the-deployment-of-colombian-fighters] - Human Rights Watch Blood on the Ball [https://bloodontheball.org/] - bloodontheball.org Refugees International Condemns the Racialization of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-condemns-the-racialization-of-the-u-s-refugee-admissions-program/] - Refugees International Why this Ebola outbreak will be so difficult to contain [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/19/why-this-ebola-outbreak-will-be-so-difficult-contain/] - Washington Post Leadership, Agency, and a New Architecture of Recovery – IV Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference [https://allianceuacso.com/leadership-agency-and-a-new-architecture-of-recovery-conference/] - Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Kate Brick and Jen Schmid.

"One Emergency After Another." The Assault on Medical Care in Gaza with Dr. Thaer Ahmad

Despite a nominal ceasefire, life for people in Gaza remains grim, Israel continues to obstruct humanitarian and medical aid, and enormous needs persist. At this year's Refugees International Advocacy Awards, we presented the Richard C. Holbrooke Leadership Award to Dr. Thaer Ahmad, in honor of Palestinian healthcare workers in Gaza whose extraordinary service has saved lives under unimaginable conditions. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Thaer Ahmad about his experience providing emergency medical care in Gaza, the consequences of the Israeli government's restrictions on medical supplies and attacks on hospitals, and the importance of advocacy in the face of inhumanity. Timed Takeaways [3:00] Inside Gaza's hospitals in the early days of the war [14:27] "On the brink of collapse": the impacts of obstructing emergency medical equipment [22:25] "A miserable process:" medical evacuations for Palestinians in and from Gaza [27:33] Targeted violence on the health system in Gaza and the detention of Palestinian doctors [40:07] The West Bank: navigating emergency care as checkpoints proliferate [43:58] The power of advocacy: protesting the Biden administration's military support to Israel [52:25] The harms of passive voice and the need to humanize Palestinian victims of violence [56:06] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide [https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf] - The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Thematic Report: Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza (7 October 2023 - 30 June 2024) [https://www.un.org/unispal/document/thematic-report-attacks-on-hospitals-31dec24/] - The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Humanitarian Scorecard: Six Months In, Gaza Ceasefire is Failing [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/humanitarian-scorecard-six-months-in-gaza-ceasefire-is-failing/] - Refugees International Palestinians Flee as Israeli Forces Raid a Major Hospital in Gaza [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-nasser-hospital.html] - New York Times How the Israeli army besieged and attacked Nasser hospital [https://www.msf.org/gaza-how-israeli-army-besieged-and-attacked-nasser-hospital] - Doctors without Borders Scorecard: Israel Fails to Comply with U.S. Humanitarian Access Demands in Gaza [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/scorecard-israel-fails-to-comply-with-u-s-humanitarian-access-demands-in-gaza/] - Refugees International Update from WHO DG on People Needing Medical Evacuation in Gaza [https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2013893130169250118] - Director-General of the World Health Organization US halts visitor visas used for medical trips from Gaza [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy1prn125do] - BBC Human Rights Groups Petition Israel's High Court: Immediately Allow Medical Evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank and East Jerusalem [https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/11470] - Adalah Your questions about our work in Gaza, answered [https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/your-questions-about-our-work-gaza-answered] - Doctors without Borders The Voice of Hind Rajab [https://www.thevoiceofhindrajabfilm.com/] This doctor walked out of a Biden meeting to protest Gaza [https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242476484/biden-met-with-a-small-group-of-muslims-yesterday-this-doctor-walked-out] - NPR Idealism, Diplomacy and Power: Tony Lake's Story [https://afsa.org/idealism-diplomacy-and-power-tony-lakes-story] - American Foreign Service Association A Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates [https://www.thekeymagazine.com/p/ta-nehisi-coates-palestine-israel-the-message-election-interview] - The Key Magazine Eyewitnesses Recount Deadly Israeli Attack on Medics in Gaza [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/world/middleeast/gaza-medics-killed-israel.html] - New York Times Lebanon Flash Update #24 [https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-24-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-may-2026] - OCHA Lebanon says two paramedics among 13 killed in Israeli strikes [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21j3xl72zo] - BBC Co-Chairs Call on U.S. Corporations to Reassess UAE Partnerships Amid Sudan Atrocity Concerns [https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/news/press-releases/co-chairs-call-us-corporations-reassess-uae-partnerships-amid-sudan-atrocity] - Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Refugees International – Ways to Take Action [http://refugeesinternational.org/get-involved/take-action/] Refugee Advocacy Lab [https://www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/] If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Eliza Leal and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music.

"No one was spared." The war in Sudan and the genocide in Darfur with Representative Sara Jacobs and Emi Mahmoud

The world just passed the three year mark of the war in Sudan - the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis in the world. We spoke with U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA) about the impact the war has had on Sudanese civilians and refugees, the role of external actors in fueling the conflict, and what the United States can do to help end it. Then, we met with Emi Mahmoud, a renowned poet, author, and humanitarian activist who grew up in Darfur to hear about the RSF's genocidal violence in Darfur and how local community groups are supporting each other across Sudan. Timed Takeaways [0:46] Setting the scene: unpacking the scale of the crisis and warring parties in Sudan [4:24] Representative Jacobs on the impact of aid cuts for Sudanese refugees [8:00] Representative Jacobs on the role of the UAE in fueling the conflict in Sudan [13:35] Representative Jacobs on needed U.S. leadership and congressional engagement to end the war in Sudan [19:20] Representative Jacobs on setting the record straight about migration management at the U.S. southern border [24:03] Emi Mahmoud on the RSF's atrocities and siege of El Fasher, Darfur [33:00] Emi Mahmoud on the role of racism and Arabization in the war in Sudan [43:44] Preventing further deaths in Sudan and ways to take action [52:08] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week [54:30] Tribute to former Refugees International President Lionel Rosenblatt Mentioned in This Episode: Aid and Accountability for Sudanese Refugees in Chad [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/aid-and-accountability-for-sudanese-refugees-in-chad/] – Refugees International The Darfur Genocide Never Ended [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/opinion/sudan-darfur-genocide.html] - New York Times Refugees International Calls for Action: New Evidence of United Arab Emirates Fueling Genocide in Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-calls-for-action-new-evidence-of-united-arab-emirates-fueling-genocide-in-sudan/] – Refugees International Refugees International Take Action: NO Weapons Sales to the UAE Until They End Support for Genocide in Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/get-involved/take-action/] – Refugees International https://www.speakoutonsudan.org/ [https://www.speakoutonsudan.org/] darfuridp.org [http://darfuridp.org] Afghans Who Helped U.S. Forces Say They're Being Pushed Back to the Taliban [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/world/asia/afghans-qatar-refugees-congo.html] – New York Times Risk of Renewed War in Tigray: Painful Reminders From Ethiopia's Last War Demand Action to Prevent Another [https://www.justsecurity.org/132370/tigray-ethiopia-action-prevent-war/] - Just Security Refugees International Honors the Life of Former President Lionel Rosenblatt [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-honors-the-life-of-former-president-lionel-rosenblatt/] – Refugees International Lionel Rosenblatt Dies at 82; Led Daring Rescue of Vietnamese Refugees [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/world/asia/lionel-rosenblatt-dead.html] - New York Times Lionel Rosenblatt is dead at 82. He defied his bosses to help hundreds flee Vietnam [https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2026/04/25/lionel-rosenblatt-dead-refugees-vietnam/] - Washington Post Speak Out on Sudan [http://www.speakoutonsudan.org] www.speakoutonsudan.org [http://www.speakoutonsudan.org] Darfur IDP Humanitarian Network [http://darfuridp.org] darfuridp.org [http://darfuridp.org] If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Etant Dupain, Eliza Leal, and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Dan Sullivan and Mohammed Naeem.

The Human Cost of the War in Iran with Vali Nasr

Forced from Home is proud to present our first-ever episode. In just a month and half, the US/Israeli war with Iran has been felt across the Middle East, and millions of people have been forcibly displaced within their country and across borders. From Iran to Lebanon, civilians are experiencing grave harm from constant bombardment on critical civilian infrastructure, including power plants, schools, health care facilities, and historical sites. Vali Nasr is a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and a New York Times bestselling author on Iran. Nasr is the author, most recently, of "Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History by Vali Nasr." We sat down to discuss the human toll of the conflict and how Iranians are experiencing the war; the risk that state collapse in Iran could spark mass regional displacement; and how the erosion of international humanitarian law is ultimately a threat to regional stability. [2:19] The outlook for the war [7:12] Iranians are experiencing a deliberate "war against the people" [12:44] "Gaza rules" and the implications for US strategic aims [17:51] Is "state collapse" plausible? [22:58] Displacement dynamics - where might Iranians seek refuge? [25:09] Iran's regional proxies and their links to humanitarian crises [31:02] Setting the record straight: the risks of destroying social fabrics [36:30] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: Iran's Schools and Hospitals in Ruins, Times Analysis Shows [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/09/world/middleeast/us-israel-strikes-iran-structures-damage.html] - NYT Why This War Could Be a "Turning Point" for the Global Order [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-this-war-could-be-a-turning-point-for-the/id1526683358?i=1000759991913] - Gita Wirjawan Humanitarian Scorecard: Six Months In, Gaza Ceasefire is Failing [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/humanitarian-scorecard-six-months-in-gaza-ceasefire-is-failing/] - Refugees International Congo says it will receive third-country deportees from the U.S. under new deal [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/congo-says-it-will-receive-third-country-deportees-from-the-u-s-under-new-deal] - PBS https://www.thirdcountrydeportationwatch.org/ [https://www.thirdcountrydeportationwatch.org/] Take Action: Speak Out on Sudan [https://www.refugeesinternational.org/actions/speak-out-on-sudan/] - Refugees International If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and consider a donation to support our work at https://give.refugeesinternational.org/a/forcedfromhome For more show episodes, visit https://refugeesinternational.org/forced-from-home-podcast Thoughts or suggestions? Get in touch with our team at ri@refugeesinternational.org [ri@refugeesinternational.org] Subscribe with us wherever you get your podcasts and follow Refugees International on social media @refugeesintl (Twitter/Instagram/Threads) and Refugees International (LinkedIn/Facebook/YouTube). You can also follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyKonyndyk. This episode of "Forced from Home" was produced by Refugees International. Our technical director and sound designer is Joshua Suhy. Our executive producer is Madison Cullinan. The show's production team also includes Etant Dupain, Eliza Leal, and Sarah Sheffer. Our music is composed by Richard Adam Keyworth from Sound Pocket Music. And special thanks to Darya and Vali Nasr.