Monday Morning Update -- February 2, 2026
Another hearing, lots of new reports, a reminder on discipline
What a week it’s been. We have updates on Operation PARRIS, some congressional lowlights, and several important reports to share that help explain exactly where things stand and why this moment matters.
Action items
Sign up to attend a hearing convened by House Foreign Affairs Committee members on Feb 11th to highlight the various injustices our allies have endured
Read and share these four things
Sign up to be a Battle Buddy and stand with Afghan allies when it matters most
Wear your values. AfghanEvac t-shirts, hoodies, and other gear help keep this work visible and support our efforts
Important update for Afghans awaiting processing and those supporting them
At this time, all refugee processing and visa issuance for Afghan nationals remains paused, including every stage of the Special Immigrant Visa process. This includes chief of mission review, travel, and downstream processing steps.
This is not legal advice. However, we are seeing legal service providers, including IRAP and others, advise caution and, in many cases, recommend postponing Afghan visa interviews of all types until there is clarity and change in the current policy environment. In the current conditions, moving forward without a viable end-to-end pathway may increase risk rather than resolve it.
We know this is frustrating and painful to hear, particularly for families who have already waited years. Our focus remains on protecting cases from harm, avoiding irreversible missteps, and pushing for conditions where lawful pathways can function again. We will continue to share updates as soon as circumstances change.
Why discipline matters more than ever
Getting someone out of immediate danger in Afghanistan is not enough if it drops them into a new form of limbo. As government-led relocation pathways remain shuttered and there is no longer a functional, friendly government entity actively helping Afghans move safely and legally, the risk of bad advice and half-baked solutions has increased dramatically.
A five-part plan needs to have all five parts. Moving an Afghan to a third country without durable legal status, without a viable resettlement pathway, or without long-term stability is not a solution. It is a pause that often makes the eventual outcome worse.
We are seeing well-intentioned actors encourage moves that lack legal grounding, sustainability, or an end state. In the current environment, those mistakes can close doors permanently. AfghanEvac’s role is not just to help people move, but to help them move correctly, lawfully, and toward a future that actually holds. Precision matters. Sequencing matters. Discipline matters.
Operation PARRIS and Battle Buddies
Operation PARRIS continues to move forward, even as the policy environment grows more hostile. We are continuing to track cases, surface problems, and push for accountability where systems are breaking down.
Accompaniment remains one of the clearest examples of what showing up actually looks like. Through our Battle Buddies program with IAVA, veterans and frontline civilians are accompanying Afghan allies to court hearings and immigration appointments, providing presence, stability, and witnesses in moments that are often designed to isolate and intimidate. This program exists because it is needed, and its impact is real.
Heritage Foundation backgrounder and AfghanEvac response
Last week, the Heritage Foundation released a document styled as a “Backgrounder” for Members of Congress on Afghan vetting. The premise was familiar and deeply flawed. Rather than educating, the paper recycled long-debunked claims, misrepresented how vetting actually works, and ignored years of bipartisan oversight, litigation, and on-the-ground operational reality.
AfghanEvac issued a detailed rebuttal correcting the record point by point. Afghan allies who entered the United States did so through one of the most exhaustive vetting processes in U.S. history. Suggesting otherwise is not only false, it actively undermines national security by signaling to future partners that U.S. commitments are conditional and politically disposable. This kind of misinformation is already being cited in congressional conversations, which is why pushing back quickly and clearly is essential.
Reports worth your time this week
Two additional reports released this week add critical context to the current policy environment.
Refugees International published a comprehensive report on Afghan women and girls documenting how steep U.S. aid cuts in 2025 have intensified the humanitarian crisis by dismantling health, protection, education, and gender-based violence services. The report shows how the withdrawal of aid, layered on top of Taliban repression, has closed clinics, eliminated protection programs, and deepened risks for women and girls across Afghanistan.
IRAP released a new explainer on DHS mass arrests, detention, and revetting practices. This resource is particularly important for understanding what Afghans in the United States are facing right now. It lays out what DHS is doing, how it departs from past practice, and why legally present individuals are still being swept into enforcement actions. It is clear, accessible, and grounded in law rather than rhetoric.
Taken together, these three documents paint a coherent picture of a system drifting away from transparency, predictability, and protection for Afghan allies and their families.
Congressional updates and the funding picture
On Capitol Hill, the Senate has passed the minibus funding package. The House has not. As of now, the House remains the primary choke point, and the outcome of these negotiations will have direct implications for Afghan relocation, resettlement capacity, and case processing.
AfghanEvac shared a letter with congressional offices urging them to protect Afghan-related authorities and funding as the bill moves forward. While there are still members who understand the stakes, we continue to see political posturing and avoidance rather than leadership. The consequences of delay are well known. Families remain separated, cases remain frozen, and enforcement pressures increase.
Upcoming House Hearing
Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will convene a Shadow Hearing on February 11 at 3:30 PM ET in Room 2168 of the Rayburn House Office Building to examine what has happened to Afghan allies since January 2025. The hearing will focus on halted pathways, family separations, and the broader implications for U.S. credibility and national security. Space is limited and we’d love to see you there. Please sign up if you plan to attend.
Press
AfghanEvac and Local Staff International Form Global Alliance to Support Afghan Colleagues – Khaama Press
His Former Company Got Caught Employing Undocumented Workers. Now He’s Profiting Off an Immigrant Detention Camp – ProPublica
Starmer accuses Trump of diminishing sacrifice of Nato troops in Afghanistan – The Guardian
ICE’s surveillance app is a techno-authoritarian nightmare – The Guardian
This work continues because people refuse to accept misinformation, cruelty, and silence as inevitable. Thank you for staying engaged, for sharing credible information, and for pushing when it would be easier to look away.
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