Afghan Refugees Face Uncertain Future as Europe Shifts Right

In a quiet neighborhood in Steenwijk, a small town in the northern Netherlands, Abdul Wali shows off the special coin and certificate the Dutch government presented in 2023 to recognize his contributions in Afghanistan. To him, these artifacts symbolize the promise the Netherlands made when it evacuated some 4,500 Afghan employees—mainly interpreters, guards, and staff for the EU police mission—along with their families, after the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021.

The images of Afghans crowding Kabul airport, desperately trying to leave as American planes took off, were shocking, revealing the fear many felt under the new regime. European governments, including the Netherlands, faced heavy criticism for the chaotic evacuation that left behind thousands of Afghans who had worked with the former government or foreign organizations.

Abdul Wali arrived in the Netherlands in November 2021 after Dutch politicians and military personnel campaigned for his evacuation. He had received threats from the Taliban for working with the Dutch NGO Cordaid and for assisting an interpreter who worked for the Dutch military. "We were on the Taliban's target list; they knew who we were," he says.

Five years later, he, his wife, and their four children have started a new life in Steenwijk. They have made friends with neighbors and learned Dutch. Three daughters attend a local school, and Abdul Wali works in a factory. Last June, his family became eligible for Dutch passports, but the government suddenly changed the law, threatening the new life they had built.

Thousands of people like Abdul Wali, despite having been granted refugee status, hold only temporary residence permits and are stuck in limbo. "My family and other families are all uncertain about the future—worried and feeling insecure," Abdul Wali says. He believes the Dutch government has a responsibility to those who once worked for the country in Afghanistan, given the risk of Taliban reprisals.

According to the EU Asylum Agency, about half a million Afghans have applied for asylum in the EU since the Taliban took power in 2021. Although the EU has not recognized the current Kabul government, 15 European ambassadors met with a Taliban delegation in Brussels in June. The main topic is said to be the potential repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Amid a wave of anti-immigration sentiment and the rise of far-right parties, EU governments want to show resolve in enforcing stricter asylum policies, even if it means cooperating with the Taliban to deport Afghans. Germany was the first EU country to work with Taliban-appointed diplomats at Afghanistan's representation in Berlin and Bonn.

In 2024, Germany lifted its ban on deporting Afghans following two knife attacks that sparked public outrage. Over the past two years, about 200 people, mostly with criminal records, have been deported to Afghanistan. In late July, Germany deported an Afghan man with no criminal record for the first time.

A Swiss document obtained by the Dutch newspaper NRC reveals that the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway are planning to deport more refugees to Afghanistan. Greece also wants to do the same. Cees Roels, former Dutch deputy ambassador who was in Kabul when the Taliban entered in August 2021, says he was shocked by the EU governments' decision to improve ties with the Taliban. "What the EU wants to do is create a system where the Taliban are gatekeepers for Europe's migration policy, but what's underestimated is that the Taliban themselves are creating the conditions that make people want to leave," Roels says.

In the eastern Netherlands, Fridoon, a lawyer who worked for the EUPOL Afghanistan mission, spends much of his free time learning Dutch. He is one of 1,800 refugees who signed a petition to the Dutch government and parliament last year, demanding clarity on their precarious future. "We didn't choose to come here; we had no choice but to leave because of the work we did. They protected us for five years... now we ask them to continue that protection, especially for our children. If we go back, death awaits us," Fridoon says. The fear of being deported at any moment keeps him up at night.

In Steenwijk, Abdul Wali's children cycle around the neighborhood, unaware of what the future holds. "They're eager to get back to school. I dread to think what would happen if my daughters couldn't go to school anymore in Afghanistan," he says.