Trump administration still blocking Special Immigrant Visas, AfghanEvac says

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack

Published April 14, 2026 at 5:03 PM EDT

Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has short brown hair, a brown beard and is wearing a dark blue button-down shirt; a woman at center has curly grey hair and is wearing glasses and a white button-down shirt; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a blue button-down shirt, jeans and brown shoes.

1 of 2 — Stephen Cady and Ellen Smith with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"

Stephen Cady and Ellen Smith with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, April 14, 2026

David Griffin / WXXI News

A smiling man with dark hair and a dark beard stands in front of a glass wall wearing a maroon blazer over a black graphic t-shirt.

2 of 2 — Shawn VanDiver Portraits-2024-104575.jpg

Shawn VanDiver

Provided

The Trump administration says it has now resumed processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans and their families who assisted the U.S. government. The SIV process was put on hold last year.

But a leading group that works with Afghan allies says it’s only a “ruse certain to result in blanket denials.” We examine it with our guests:

Ellen Smith, founder and executive director of Keeping Our Promise
Naweed, operations staff member at Keeping Our Promise
Stephen Cady, 17-year Army veteran and housing coordinator for Keeping Our Promise
Shawn VanDiver, president and founder of AfghanEvac

To learn more about Keeping Our Promise's Road to Resilience Gala, please click here.