The US Department of State has suspended all refugee travel and the processing of new asylum applications to the country.
This order includes the suspension of financial sponsorship programs by American citizens for refugees and the prohibition of entry for refugees who had previously received resettlement approval in the US.
Holders of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) are not included in this decision by the United States.
Samiullah Ahmadzai, a political affairs analyst, said: "Now, they have blocked this process for migrants, which affects those who were on their way and intended to reach the US with P1 and P2 cases. I think this is a temporary measure for them."
"The newly approved law greatly harms Afghans. Here in Pakistan, Afghans are facing economic and psychological challenges, and in addition to that, security issues have also increased significantly,” said Ehsanullah Ahmadzai, a migrant rights activist.
The US Department of State made this decision following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, and this process has been suspended for four months.
Meanwhile, the US Congress has passed a bill under which migrants living illegally in the US and accused of crimes such as theft must be detained.
In the US House of Representatives, 46 Democrats and 217 Republicans voted in favor of this bill.
Mike Collins, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, said: " This is a good bill. It's a common-sense, law-enforcement bill. It simply states, minor-level crime now -- local law-enforcement can contact ICE to get these people detained, processed, deported. These people, these criminals that come across, that inflict violence on American families, they just get more and more emboldened."
Previously, a US official and prominent refugee resettlement advocates told Reuters that Donald Trump's order has resulted in canceled flights for nearly 1,660 Afghans who had been approved for resettlement by the US.
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