The safety of Afghan partners who put their lives in danger for the U.S. military is at risk due to the Trump administration’s immigration policy, according to a retired Army Special Forces officer.
Amir, a teenage Afghan interpreter who aided American soldiers during the War on Terror, is the reason Dewey Yopp, a former soldier in Afghanistan, told CBS News on Wednesday that he owes his life. Yopp described how Amir often saved his life in battle, saying, “He’s like a son to me.”
Amir received a green card for his military service in the United States and has been residing in Kentucky since 2022. However, President Donald Trump terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan refugees, putting him and thousands of others at risk of deportation. Critics claim this action violates America’s commitments to its wartime partners.
“Seeing programs that were supposed to protect these people taken away has been a slap in the face,” Yopp said.
Amir also voiced his dissatisfaction, saying that Americans had promised Afghans something. If you’re going to breach such promises, why make them?
The remarks coincide with a wider pushback against Trump’s immigration plan, which has placed a high priority on mass deportations. Trump has pledged to deport one million undocumented individuals by the end of the year and has pushed for an ambitious daily target of 3,000 immigration arrests since taking office again. But according to CBS News, ICE is now failing to meet that objective.
Watchdog groups such as the Vera Institute, meanwhile, have denounced the state of the immigration system, pointing to widespread abuse, neglect, and human rights issues brought on by the Trump administration’s policies.
Amir’s case has come to light as a clear illustration of the practical repercussions of those policies, particularly for people who directly supported American military operations abroad.
