Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in the UAE

The US president says he will help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years

US President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Republican Senators, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Jul 18, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when its Taliban leaders extended control over it.

Trump, a Republican who has criticised high levels of immigration, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US.

"I will try to save them, starting right now," Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.

The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal.

Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1,000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country.

Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been brought to the US by former President Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul.

Refugees include family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war.