Afghan citizens in SanGjin, which arrived a few months ago, are uncertain about the future, following an executive order signed by President Trump that questions going to the U.S.
The U.S. organization based in Washington called "AfghanEvac" contributed to the extrusion from Afghanistan and its arrival in the country.
In an interview with top channel journalist Muhamed Veliu, head of this organization, Shaën VanDiver initially answers the question of what the future of those 400 Afghans currently in Shengjin will be.
"There may be some scenarios. The ideal would be to give a waiver from the executive order, allowing these individuals to continue their processing and travel to the United States. Secretary Rubio has the authority to make this decision independently, based on the text of the executive order. We remain hopeful that this exemption will be approved soon," said Shawn VanDiver, head of the AfghanEvac organization.
But how likely will it be for US friends to obtain a SIV visa?
Afghans in Albania have already applied for SIV visas and are well ahead in their process. When they reach places like the one in Shëngjin, they usually have received the approval of the Chief of Mission (COM)".
Shawn VanDiver tells Top Channel talks with the Trump administration on the matter.
"About a week before the new administration took office, we sent them a letter, signed by hundreds of organizations and individuals, warning that executive action could have significant negative consequences, including against Afghan allies. While the administration thanked us for the letter, we have not received any official response. Without formally, we have heard that there has been confusion within the White House over policy details, as well as some potential confusion of different paths for Afghans. We hope this is unintentional and can be resolved. "If a solution is not reached this week, however, we will be forced to conclude that the lack of action is intentional," VanDiver said.
These uncertainties for Afghans in Albania, ShawnVanDiver says, are very worrying and we hope it is being addressed as a priority issue by the U.S. State Department.