MANILA, Philippines – The United States Embassy in the Philippines announced on Sunday, January 19, that all Afghan nationals seeking Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) had left for the United States barely two weeks after they first arrived in the Philippines. 

“The government of the United States extends deep appreciation to the government of the Philippines for their cooperation and support for U.S. efforts to assist Afghan Special Immigrants,” Kanishka Gangopadhyay, spokesperson for the embassy, said in a statement. 

The Philippines and the United States had earlier agreed to let up to 300 Afghans nationals fly into the Philippines, where they would undergo the final steps to get an SIV. They arrived in the Philippines on January 6 and were moved to an undisclosed billeting facility. 

Each person had a maximum of 59 days to stay in the Philippines, while the program itself would only be allowed to run for 100 days. Any Afghans still without a SIV after 59 days or after the program lapsed in 100 days would have to be moved to another country. 

The SIV program started in 2009 “to resettle Afghans who had worked on behalf of the United States.” It covers Afghan nationals who worked for the US between October 2001 and December 2024 for at least least a year and should “be experiencing or have experienced a serious ongoing threat as a consequence of the employment.” 

Their family members are also eligible for the program. Of the less than 200 Afghans who flew to Manila, for instance, over 60% were minors, according to Gangopadhyay. 

The Afghans travelled for immigration to the United States via commercial flights from January 15 to 17, said the US Embassy. 

The program — even when it was still being negotiated — had been criticized over supposed security concerns and worries that it would take from the Philippines’ resources. All Afghans allowed to fly into the Philippines obtained visas and underwent health and security screening from both the US and the Philippines. It was also the US that shoulder the expense of hosting the Afghans in the Philippines. 

“Let everyone be clear that this is about our shared desire and our shared commitment to provide the children, women, and men who are part of this entire project the opportunity to start anew and to rebuild their lives with hope in a better future… This was never a demand on the part of the US,” a Philippine official earlier told a press conference. – Rappler.com

• Donald Trump and the White House offered a muddy message on trade.
• Markets continued to be roiled by Trump's plans for retaliatory tariffs.
• In the meantime, GOP leaders said a bill to rein in Trump's tariffs is going nowhere.

President Donald Trump on Monday said he's not open to pausing planned reciprocal tariffs as his trade war continues to roil markets and create political headaches for fellow Republicans.

The White House, including Trump, continued to send conflicting messages about whether his tariffs were an effort to bring nations to the table or a massive policy shift aimed at reorienting the US economy.

"There can be permanent tariffs and there can also be negotiations," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that "50, 60, maybe almost 70 countries now have approached" the White House to discuss tariffs.

Earlier in the day, White House senior counselor Peter Navarro wrote in the Financial Times, "This is not a negotiation. For the US, it is a national emergency triggered by trade deficits caused by a rigged system."

Amid mounting political pressure, the GOP leaders of both chambers made it clear they stand behind the president.

"I don't think that has a future," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters about a bipartisan bill to rein in presidential tariff powers.

Thune's comments came after the White House formally said that Trump would veto a bill to rein in presidential tariff power.

So far, seven Senate Republicans, including Sens. Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell, have said they would vote for such a bill. Grassley is the senior most Senate Republican and third in line to the presidency. McConnell led Senate Republicans for nearly two decades.

Across the Capitol, Speaker Mike Johnson sounded a similar note.

"You've got to give the president the latitude, the runway to do what it is he was elected to do," Johnson told reporters when asked about similar House legislation.

Under Grassley's bill, new tariffs would expire if Congress didn't approve them within 60 days. Presidents would also be required to notify Congress of future tariffs ahead of their announcement. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, one of the most vulnerable House Republicans, has said he would introduce legislation similar to Grassley's in the House.

Before Trump, free trade was one of the pillars of the modern Republican Party. Trump has supported protectionist policies for decades and has been deeply critical of US trade policy.

The White House has sought to buck up support for Trump's latest round of tariffs amid a slump on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for the third straight day on Monday.

Trump argues short-term pain will ultimately benefit the economy.