They fought for the U.S. in Afghanistan. Now they worry about losing their green cards

Hundreds of Afghans who served alongside U.S. forces and now hold green cards via the Special Immigrant Visa program have received federal notices saying the basis for their visas was revoked or denied. The State Department has issued 160,000 SIVs since 2009, more than half since the 2021 Kabul embassy closure, and advocates say the volume and randomness of recent letters far exceeds what was expected.

The notices stem from a Biden-era fraud review after concerns that some employment-verification letters were fabricated or purchased, complicated by the fact that many employers destroyed records or shut down entirely after the withdrawal. One prosecuted case involved a man sentenced to 30 months for selling fraudulent recommendation letters to Afghan applicants.

Advocates say the expectation was that revoked SIV holders could still pursue asylum, but the scope now appears far larger than anticipated, arriving as the Trump administration has separately paused refugee resettlement and stripped Temporary Protected Status from other groups. The State Department and USCIS did not respond to requests for comment.

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