Vermont Afghan allies react to “re-examination” of status

BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – After an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., the Vermont Afghan Alliance is criticizing the Trump administration’s response as “deeply harmful.”

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, posted on X Wednesday night that they would stop processing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals immediately.

The Vermont Afghan Alliance, a group connecting the Afghan community in Vermont with housing, immigration, and language services, said that they feared misinformation while thanking the Afghan community in Vermont for their contributions.

“An act of one individual, on his own, cannot be attributed to an entire community or nationality… These individuals face persecution by the Taliban for their loyalty to the U.S. and fled everything – including family – for safety here.”

The most recent U.S. Census was before many Afghans sought refuge in the United States following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, but according to the Associated Press, 100 refugees out of the first group of 37,000 chose to settle in Vermont.