Monday Morning Update -- July 7 2025

CAS closing, Battle Buddies update, AfghanEvac Store Launch, and One Big Beautiful Bill

Last week, after several days of Congressional drama, we saw the passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. We’ve included a rundown on the impacts below. Also, we are starting to hear from Afghan guests at CAS (State Dept run camp in Doha, Qatar) that USCIS is telling them that the camp is closing at the end of September and they’ll be sent back to Afghanistan. We all know that this is a death sentence and are working to verify exactly what the policy will be, but this does track with what we’ve been hearing from within government.

We also launched our AfghanEvac store (finally, after years) and we hope you’ll go get yourself a shirt, lapel pin, or some other piece of gear to show the world you stand with our allies. Every cent of the proceeds goes toward our mission.

The Bill

The bill will undercut AfghanEvac’s mission on multiple fronts, in addition to causing broad harm to immigrant populations across the country:

1. Legal Access and Pathways

   1. Steeper visa/EAD/asylum costs

   2. Higher risk of detention or deportation

   3. Greater difficulty accessing humanitarian protections

2. Social Safety Net and Integration

   1. Harder access to health and nutrition assistance

   2. Threats to Medicaid and ACA subsidies

   3. Increased hardship due to work and cost-sharing requirements

3. Resettlement and Community Support

   1. Less federal funding for housing, legal aid, and nonprofit partnerships

   2. Cuts to local government capacity to manage arrivals and support systems

Statements and resources to understand the impact of the bill, signed Friday (July 4th):

• AILA

• IRAP

• RCUSA

Battle Buddies update

Since our launch, Battle Buddies has seen signups more than 350 veterans from 45 states plus DC. We are only missing Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wyoming (so tell your friends there to sign up).

We will start training soon and hope to start seeing folks in court rooms in the coming days. Lawyers and advocates — please get in touch if you know of a date and court room we should have someone attend.

Store launch

In some positive news, the AfghanEvac store has launched on our website. Go to https://afghanevac.org/store and check it out. A variety of merch is now available and we encourage our supporters to wear a t-shirt, hoodie, or one of our other new items to show your support for our mission and our wartime allies. If there’s something you think we should add to the store, let us know.

Finally, there’s been no news on whether the CARE office is actually closing. The date for that had been set for July 1 and staff were assuming that more details would be shared by then, but the day came and went and no updates have been shared. Since all relocation operations are still suspended, CARE staff remain in limbo as well, awaiting confirmation that their work will continue, and an explanation as to where those functions will be housed within State.

We do know that staff at the State Department facility in Doha, Qatar (CAS) are telling some Afghans that they’re going to have to go back to Afghanistan by the end of September. We do not know if it’s everyone at the camp and we understand that there is an effort underway to identify some Afghans who might be eligible for SIV but who haven’t yet applied. Anyone who has been working on this for any period of time knows that the SIV process is slow on it’s best day, so we are seeking clarity from State Department leadership.

What we’re reading

• The U.S. is closing every door on Afghan allies – Reason

• America owes its Afghan partners more than this – Washington Post

• From sanctuary to scrutiny: Afghans in America face the weight of Trump’s immigration clampdown – The National

• Inside Zero Units, the CIA’s Secret Afghan Army – Rolling Stone

• Russia becomes first country to recognise Taliban government of Afghanistan – Reuters

• The Afghans at Risk of Deportation – Washington Post Podcast

• Afghanistan review could lead to change in promotions for NCOs, officers – Task & Purpose

• Germany seeks deal with Taliban to deport Afghan migrants – Financial Times

• Muttaqi meets with Chinese Delegation, discusses expanding China - Afghanistan ties – Ariana News

• The Unexpected Consequences of War Between Iran and Israel on Afghanistan – The Diplomat

• Hundreds of veterans volunteer to attend asylum hearings with Afghans – KPBS

• Afghan ally detained by ICE after attending immigration court hearing – CBS News

• Former Afghan interpreter detained by ICE speaks out from behind bars – Fox 5 San Diego

• Trump cuts keep Afghan man from reuniting with family in San Diego – KPBS

• Veterans, officials support Afghan refugee detained at San Diego immigration court – Times of San Diego

We continue to be both discouraged and disgusted by recent U.S. government decisions to abandon both our wartime allies and the veterans who fought alongside them, and we will continue to beat the drum to push for change. We are grateful to be shoulder-to-shoulder in this fight with you.

As we observed the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 4th, we were reminded that small movements can blossom into cataclysmic change – and we remain resolved to stand by our Afghan allies for as long as it takes to keep the promises we made to them.