The Trump administration announced on Dec. 3 that all asylum applications and all immigration applications for individuals from 19 countries had been suspended, pending further security vetting. The decision left many immigrants and asylum applicants in the Capital Region afraid and uncertain of their future.
The application suspensions are part of a broader crackdown on immigrants in the U.S., with an increase in ICE raids in the Capital Region as well, which have specifically targeted Afghan residents. ICE detained two Afghan nationals, a father and son, near Masjid As-Salam, a mosque on Central Avenue, after the morning prayers near sunrise early this month. New York Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko condemned the targeting of Afghans in the Capital Region during a press conference outside the Colonie USCIS office, saying that it was unfair to target a community based on the actions of one individual.
“There has been a staggering increase in immigration arrests this past year across every county, across our Capital Region, many of these arrests have been against immigrants with no criminal record," he said. "Most recently, our Afghan community has been targeted. President Trump is using the despicable actions of one individual as an excuse to unleash terror on an entire community. Terror on an entire community is unacceptable.”
According to Tonko, seven of the Afghans arrested were members of the same family, who had come to the U.S. seeking refuge. Yousaf Sherzad, acting president of the Afghan Community Center in Albany, said the families impacted were fleeing from persecution in Afghanistan.
“They had [a] medical store back and they had an English language course," he said. "They were teaching men and women English back home. And because of that part, they came over here for the safety and they had problems.”
Sherzad also said that many of the Afghan nationals who were asylum applicants were those who supported U.S. efforts in the country.
“I live here in US for more than 11-12 years. I worked with the US military back over there, team by team, shoulder by shoulder," he said. "We were taught and we were told that we are brothers over there, and we felt like brothers when we came here, until now, but recently, in last years or six months, because of the policies, they are changed, and they're targeting almost everyone.”
Upon request for comment on how many individuals in the Capital Region were impacted by the cancelations and by the ICE arrests, USCIS responded with a statement from a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security, saying that: “The pause will allow for a comprehensive examination of all pending benefit requests for aliens from the designated high-risk countries. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
Cianna Freeman, an immigration attorney at Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna, said that there were already mechanisms in place which ensured law enforcement was aware of serious crimes. For example, if there is ever someone who is a visaholder who is arrested for a felony, their arrest and biometric data is automatically uploaded to ICE’s system. Freeman was particularly concerned that immigrants and applicants who were going to federal offices for routine check-ins and appointments were also being targeted.
“We're seeing individuals going into these federal buildings to report like they're supposed to, to pursue their case, like they're supposed to, to pursue their application, like they're supposed to, and they're being picked up by immigration, by ICE at that time,” she said.
Freeman also warned that given the unpredictability of ICE’s arrests, immigrants who are in the process of obtaining a green card or visa should ensure that their family and friends to are aware of their status.
“It's a federal matter. They can move you anywhere in the country," she said. "We have clients everywhere throughout the country, from California down to Florida. And if your community and your family members and your friends don't know enough about you that we can find you, then you get lost in the system. So I understand that immigrant statuses can be private, and I completely get that, but now it's most important that you share at least a little bit of your information with individuals, so if anything happens, we can find you.”
According to Sherzad, many of the Afghan community in the Capital Region are afraid that the promises made to them of safety and freedom in the U.S. will not be fulfilled.
“We are very scared, and we are thinking, that were the things that were told to us, were [a] lie or this is a bad treatment, or what is in the change or the leadership of the country, or why we are not getting that help that we were expecting, that most of the people were expecting, because they are in danger now," he said. "They are running over here for their safety, and they put their self in the danger over there to work to build their country.”
