Iran War and U.S. Refugee Policy

PBS reports from Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar that about 1,100 Afghan refugees bound for the United States have been stranded for more than a year after President Trump froze refugee processing in January last year and are now sheltering under Iranian ballistic‑missile barrages targeting nearby Al Udeid Air Base. The Afghans, many of whom worked with U.S. forces and roughly 700 of whom have already been fully vetted and approved for U.S. entry, describe hiding in thin temporary container units as explosions rock the camp and children ask if they are going to die. Residents say they have repeatedly begged U.S. State Department staff to evacuate them but have been told they are “safe” and cannot be moved, and some allege officials have warned them they could lose phone and internet access or even be deported if they speak publicly. State confirms it plans to close the camp by the end of March but has not disclosed where the refugees will go, leaving them caught between the Taliban they fled and a new U.S.–Iran war they did not choose. The situation is fueling online criticism that Washington has abandoned wartime allies and is now leaving approved refugees in a known target zone while insisting the program’s suspension is about security vetting, a rationale that looks increasingly thin amid incoming missile fire.