Monday Morning Update -- June 16, 2025
Let’s start with an apology before we dive in—yes, this email is long. But it’s packed with breaking developments that journalists, policymakers, and advocates need to see. Please read it, share it, and act on it.
This past week delivered a brutal contradiction: a new DOJ report confirmed the Afghan vetting system worked—just as the administration accelerated efforts to dismantle it. DHS filed internal documents that undercut its own rationale for ending TPS. ICE detained a vetted Afghan ally in a San Diego courthouse. And more than 200 U.S. servicemembers are still waiting to reunite with family members left behind in danger. Meanwhile, senior State Department officials remain silent—even after visiting those stranded in Qatar.
All of it is below. And every piece of it demands attention.We start with a summary—and ways you can help right now--then we get into details. Let’s go!
The Department of Justice released their Inspector General Report on the FBI’s performance during Operation Allied Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). The short version of the results is that the vetting worked and so did the overall system in place meant to protect our national security at home and abroad. More details below
Last week, DHS filed an administrative report that lays out everything they used to come to the decision to allow TPS for Afghanistan to expire without renewal. It will not shock you to find that there are some inconsistencies. More in our legal update below.
We sent a letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Chairman, Ranking Member, and members requesting that they include Enduring Welcome / CARE / relocations in the upcoming State Authorization bill. That letter is attached here and we’ve got details of the ask below.
We also sent a letter to Secretaries Noem, Hegseth, and Rubio on behalf of active duty servicemembers seeking relief for their families awaiting reunification. That is attached here with more info below
The nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia stood before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing. We are disappointed that he didn’t receive any hard questions about CARE or Enduring Welcome. So little happened around this that we won’t cover it below.
One thing we missed last week: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan Mary Bischoping visited Doha and was unmoved by the more than 1500 people still trapped there awaiting decisions from the Administration about their futures. More on that below also.
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Donate – We’re on the frontlines of this fight and we need resources to keep going. Please visit afghanevac.org/donate and invest today. As you can see below, we’re running on all cylinders but will not be able to continue if we can’t fund our efforts.
Send us your letters – If your org has written to congress or the executive branch, please share copies with us today. We’ll include them in our upcoming correspondence page. It’s being built now, but you can see a preview of the list here
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What happened last week?
DOJ Watchdog Confirms Afghan Vetting Worked
This week, the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General released a comprehensive report on the FBI’s role in vetting Afghan evacuees during the 2021 evacuation efforts—Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).
Here’s what you need to know:
The vetting worked—and it kept the U.S. safe.
Despite enormous logistical pressure and incomplete data at the time, the FBI identified and investigated flagged individuals, shared information with partners, and prevented threats from materializing. Of 231 watchlisted individuals, all were either cleared or are under continued monitoring. One individual who later plotted a domestic attack was caught and arrested—because the system functioned.
Concerns were valid—and they were addressed.
For years, members of Congress (especially Republicans) raised serious questions about the vetting process. This independent report shows those concerns were heard and acted upon. Re-vetting, identity discovery, and case-by-case follow-ups worked as intended. There was no systemic failure.
Enduring Welcome is different—and even stronger.
What came next is critical: Enduring Welcome is the result of the lessons learned from OAR and OAW. It includes:
More complete and standardized data collection
Stronger interagency coordination
Thorough vetting before individuals even travel
Legal and durable pathways built for long-term success
Enduring Welcome is the safest, most secure legal immigration pathway to the United States.
What this means for us
This report should put to rest the idea that the system was reckless or dangerous. It wasn’t. It was tested under pressure and improved by design. The facts are clear: our country is safer because of the systems that were built—many by people in this coalition.
We’ll continue to push for transparency, integrity, and bipartisan support. But the record is strong. Let’s use it.
Legal Update – Administrative Record Filed in TPS Termination Case
Late Friday, the government filed its Administrative Record (AR) in the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan (CASA vs Noem). At over 4,000 pages, the record includes critical internal materials that reveal deep contradictions in the government’s justification for ending protections.
We’re still reviewing the full AR, but key documents stand out:
A USCIS report from November 2024 paints a bleak and realistic picture of Afghanistan today—highlighting economic collapse, repression of women, and widespread human suffering, especially for returnees from Pakistan. That report explicitly warns that Afghanistan “remains unable to safely absorb returnees.”
A separate USCIS “addendum” (pages 27–31 of the filed document) goes further, documenting the lack of aid for returnees, loss of livelihoods, and ongoing Taliban restrictions. It implicitly contradicts the administration’s public claim that conditions have improved.
Yet, the official rationale—framed in the Federal Register notice terminating TPS—argues that Afghanistan’s situation no longer warrants protection, citing “notable improvements” and claiming continued TPS is “contrary to the national interest.” These claims appear to be shaped more by political agenda than fact.
This is a significant development. The discrepancy between DHS’s conclusion and USCIS’s own internal findings strengthens the argument that the TPS termination was arbitrary and capricious—a key test under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
We’ll have more on this after full review. But the takeaway is clear: even the government’s own experts don’t buy the talking points used to justify abandoning Afghan TPS holders.
ICE Detains Afghan Ally in San Diego After Court Appearance
On Wednesday, June 12, a disturbing incident unfolded in San Diego: an Afghan ally—legally paroled into the U.S., with a pending SIV application and an active asylum claim—was detained by ICE at the federal immigration courthouse immediately after a scheduled hearing.
The justification? ICE claimed his prior Notice to Appear (NTA) was ‘improvidently issued’—a vague and unchallenged assertion that lacks transparency or legal precedent. No explanation was given to the individual or his attorney. He was taken into custody despite following all legal instructions and appearing in good faith.
This arrest sends a chilling message to the thousands of Afghans who are complying with U.S. legal processes: even doing everything right may not be enough to keep you safe.
#AfghanEvac calls for his release while his case works through the normal asylum process. We have Sayed’s permission to use his first name and we are going to start using #StandWithSayed. If you have any questions about this case, please reach out.
Congressional Advocacy Update: HFAC Letter on State Department Reauthorization
Last week, AfghanEvac submitted formal recommendations to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for inclusion in the upcoming State Department reauthorization bill. The letter, sent to Chairman Brian Mast and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, outlines key provisions necessary to uphold U.S. commitments to Afghan wartime allies and safeguard national security interests.
Our recommendations are pragmatic, bipartisan, and aligned with the Committee’s goals to modernize the Department while preserving its most essential functions. Specifically, we urged Congress to:
Codify CARE Functions: Mandate the continued coordination of Afghan relocations, placing it within the Bureau of Special Diplomatic Missions and preserving critical data infrastructure.
Expand the Role of the Hostage Affairs Envoy: Include stranded family members of U.S. troops, veterans, and Afghan allies in the envoy’s coordination portfolio.
Sustain Oversight of Afghan Pathways: Require quarterly updates on SIV, Enduring Welcome, and refugee programs—and reaffirm congressional intent to continue these missions until every eligible ally is relocated.
Clarify EO 14163 Exemptions: Urge explicit protection for those in the Enduring Welcome pipeline, including but not limited to Afghan partner forces, journalists, judges and prosecutors, and family of U.S. servicemembers.
Preserve Migration & Reunification Functions: Protect the Assistant Secretary for Migration and Disaster Assistance’s authority over refugee processing, integration, and family reunification efforts.
Bolster Accountability & Truth: Recommend empowering civil rights and ombudsman offices to investigate discrimination, and charge Global Public Affairs with countering disinformation about Afghan allies.
We have asked the Chairman and Ranking Member to lead on these provisions but have not yet heard back if they are interested.
Interagency Letter: Urgent Request on Behalf of Active Duty Military Families
On June 8, 2025, AfghanEvac submitted a formal letter to Secretaries Rubio (State), Noem (DHS), and Hegseth (DOD), with copies sent to senior leadership and policy staff across the interagency, calling for an urgent meeting before July 1st to address the plight of over 200 U.S. servicemembers whose immediate family members remain stranded in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar.
Key points from the letter:
Unfulfilled Government Promises: These families were promised relocation and reunification. They completed every required step, submitted documentation, and waited—yet remain separated.
Ongoing Danger: Many family members are in the U.S. refugee pipeline due to credible fears of persecution. Others are in legal limbo in third countries or trapped in Afghanistan, at daily risk due to their ties to the U.S.
Operational Implications: This failure is not only a moral issue—it’s a matter of military readiness. Servicemembers distracted by concern for their families cannot serve at full capacity. Morale, trust, and retention are all at stake.
Silencing by Fear: Active duty troops are afraid to speak out, fearing career consequences or retaliation. AfghanEvac is amplifying their voices to ensure leadership hears them without putting them at risk.
Policy Solutions Exist: AfghanEvac stands ready to brief the Departments on actionable solutions that don’t require new legislation—just leadership and political will.
This letter is part of a growing advocacy campaign to protect the integrity of our military commitments and ensure that the families of those who serve are not left behind.
DAS Bischoping Visit
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan Mary Kabir-Seraj Bischoping recently visited Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) in Doha—home to over 1,500 men, women, and children who have been stranded for months without a path forward.
Multiple sources confirmed that during her visit, no concrete information or assurances were provided, and that the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) and end the Enduring Welcome initiative by September 30, 2025 remains unchanged.
With CARE winding down and Enduring Welcome scheduled to sunset, there is no longer a clear mechanism for relocation from CAS or other U.S.-supported platforms. Field staff report no guidance, no communication on next steps, and a clear internal directive discouraging any outreach to or engagement with Congress.
Despite her past role as the lead investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s review of the Afghanistan withdrawal—and her prior calls for accountability—there has been no indication from DAS Bischoping that the administration’s posture on Afghan relocation will shift. She has ignored attempts from AfghanEvac to have a discussion.
What This Means
CARE was the only federal office with a mandate to coordinate Afghan relocation. Its elimination removes the structure needed to continue this work.
Those stuck at CAS now face four potential outcomes:
Resettlement to the U.S. — no longer an option under current policy.
Relocation to a third country — remains largely hypothetical.
Indefinite limbo in Qatar — increasingly the default.
Forced return to Afghanistan — a legal and ethical failure.
More than 250,000 Afghans remain in the broader relocation pipeline—and now face increasing uncertainty and diminishing hope.
Veterans, military families, and national security leaders are raising concerns about the long-term consequences for U.S. credibility and global partnerships.
This visit, and the lack of clarity that followed, reflect a turning point. For many working on this issue, it’s the clearest signal yet that the infrastructure supporting our Afghan allies is being dismantled without a plan to replace it.
What we’re reading
Video shows ICE detaining man in San Diego while he says he helped US in Afghan war – NBC San Diego
Afghan man who worked as interpreter for US Army detained by ICE in San Diego – Yahoo News
FBI thoroughly vetted Afghans who fled after US withdrawal, audit finds – Stars and Stripes
‘We were friends of the US’: Fearful Afghans face Trump travel ban – BBC
Scores of Afghans who helped U.S. impacted by visa ban – CNN News Central
Immediate impact of Trump’s travel ban on 12 countries – ABC News Live
Khalilzad is not trustworthy: AfghanEvac Head – Khaama Press
We made it to the end.
What we’re witnessing is a coordinated dismantling of one of the most successful bipartisan humanitarian operations in modern U.S. history—and it’s happening in slow motion. The facts are clear. The vetting system worked. The need is real. The families are still waiting. And the promises are being broken in full view. Congress has completely abdicated its oversight function, which is really our only hope for pushing the administration in the right direction.
If you’re a journalist, we hope you’ll cover what’s unfolding. If you’re an advocate, now is the time to speak louder. If you’re a public servant, we’re asking you to act. Our coalition was built for moments like this—and we will not go quiet.