Federal Agency Seeks to Interview Afghan Immigrants, Alarming Refugee Groups

A federal refugee resettlement office is quietly launching an effort to interview hundreds of Afghan immigrants living in the United States, raising alarms among refugee groups who worry the information they collect could be used for future immigration enforcement.

An internal email sent to staff in the Office of Refugee Resettlement on July 14 and reviewed by The Washington Post called for volunteers to conduct outreach calls to 800 Afghans who were brought to the U.S. in recent years and “may be in vulnerable situations.”

A questionnaire for the effort — called the Refugee Outreach and Wellbeing Initiative — shows the agency will gather detailed information about household members, including their names, jobs, languages spoken and immigration status.

Some refugee groups expressed concern at the idea because the Trump administration has taken steps to strip Afghans in the U.S. of legal status as part of the president’s broader immigration crackdown, a dramatic reversal of President Joe Biden’s welcome of more than 88,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

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The questionnaire says the information collected will be used to “identify common challenges” and assess whether additional resources or support may be needed. The email said the push would run through Aug. 7, with calls expected to take 30 minutes each.

ORR, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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ORR officials discussed the plan with refugee resettlement organizations in late May, according to two people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the conversation. The officials said the effort would target people without permanent status.

Angie Salazar, the acting director of ORR, is a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. She faced criticism from Democrats last year over her role in an effort to quickly deport unaccompanied children to Guatemala over a holiday weekend, a furtive operation that was blocked by a federal judge.

The questionnaire to be read to Afghan immigrants over the phone includes a consent notice that emphasizes the survey is not anonymous and that information may be retained for 15 years.

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A section of the questionnaire titled “Assimilation and Integration” asks Afghans how well they feel they have adjusted to life in the United States, ranging from “very well” to “very poorly.”

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