WASHINGTON — AfghanEvac, an advocacy group for refugees, in a letter on Monday called on members of the US Congress to prioritize the plight of Afghan refugees during this week’s budget hearings in both chambers, which are expected to feature Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a letter sent to key lawmakers, including Representative Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, other committee chairs, and several senators, the group urged lawmakers to address what it called a growing humanitarian and moral crisis facing Afghan allies left in limbo nearly three years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“This week’s hearings with Secretary Rubio are a critical moment for Congress to reaffirm its commitment to tens of thousands of Afghan allies still awaiting resettlement and support,” the letter states. “With more than 212,000 trapped inside Afghanistan and tens of thousands stranded in over 75 other countries, the stakes for U.S. moral leadership, national security, and global credibility could not be higher.”
The group cited the rollback of key relocation and protection programs, including “Enduring Welcome”, which it described as “the most secure and thoroughly vetted relocation pathway ever implemented.” The program has resettled nearly 76,000 Afghans in the United States, the group said, but has since stalled under the Trump administration.
The letter also noted the effective sidelining of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) — a role created and authorized by Congress through 2027 — and the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, despite ongoing instability in the country.
Thousands of Afghan refugees remain in legal and logistical limbo. More than 1,200 evacuees in Qatar, including family members of active-duty U.S. service members, await processing. In Pakistan, many Afghans face deportation even after the U.S. signed agreements for their safe relocation.
“This retrenchment is happening precisely when sustained engagement is most needed,” the letter warned. “These changes have taken place quietly. Now is the time to turn concern into oversight.”
AfghanEvac urged Congress to raise clear questions during this week’s hearings on the future of the Enduring Welcome program, the apparent decline of the CARE team, delays in family reunification for Afghan refugees — particularly those connected to U.S. military personnel — and the end of TPS protections. The group also called for scrutiny of deportations of U.S.-affiliated Afghans from Pakistan and what it described as a “quiet normalization” of relations with the Taliban, which it warned undermines American values and global standing.
Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, posted the letter on X, expressing hope that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers would raise these issues during the hearings.
