Afghan women take part in a protest march for their rights under the Taliban rule in the downtown area of Kabul on September 3, 2021. Hoshang Hashimi, AFP 

MANILA —The Department of Justice said talks are still ongoing on the United States government's request for the country to house Afghan nationals while their Special immigrant Visas are being processed. 

The DOJ was asked about the status of the request of the US on the sidelines of the start of activities in relation to the 1st National Refugee Day in the Philippines.

“‘Yung discussion nung tungkol sa Afghan nationals, ongoing pa po ‘yung discussion niyan with the US Embassy,” Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said.

(The discussion on Afghan nationals is still ongoing with the US Embassy)

The possibility of housing Afghan nationals came up when Sen. Imee Marcos raised concerns in 2023 on the real identities of the Afghans who previously worked for the US government.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed the request during the probe, noting that the US government had sent a formal letter of request to the Philippine embassy in October 2022.

In the letter, the US asked the Philippines to allow its Afghan employees to enter the country and be provided temporary housing as they waited for their SIVs.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the US has been processing and issuing around 1,500 SIVs a year "for Afghan nationals who worked for or on behalf of the US government in Afghanistan" who "provided faithful and valuable service" and are under "ongoing serious threat" because of their work.

Applicants must have recommendations from a US citizen or national who was their supervisor as well as the approval of the Chief of Mission .

They also have to pass a background and security check by the US Department of Homeland Security.

Afghanistan has been under Taliban control since 2021.

NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

While the the Philippines remains “open” to the idea of housing Afghan nationals, the DOJ said national security remains a primary concern.

The DOJ also clarified that the US request is for Afghan nationals and not refugees.

“Ang Number One concern na lang diyan is ‘yung national security issue natin,” Vasquez said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last July said that Filipinos are hospitable and that the Philippines has a history of hosting refugees and displaced people.

"Ngunit ito ay ibang usapan ‘to kasi may halong pulitika, may halong…security so medyo mas kumplikado ‘to. So, we’ll look at it very, very well before making a decision," he also said.

(But this is a different matter because there are political and security aspects involved, so it is more complicated.)

His sister, Sen. Marcos, said the month before that that the Afghan nationals have to be vetted because "security and espionage threats have substantially increased because of the sharp escalation in tension between rival superpowers."

The Philippines is a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions.

The National Refugee Day 2024 will officially open with the first National Refugee Forum on 20 June  which aims to discuss the experiences of the forcibly displaced and how inclusive communities work on providing solutions to their displacement.

A 2nd Refugee Film Festival and Short Film  Competition led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in partnership with the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde.

Still no decision on US request to host Afghans in PH: Marcos