Monday Morning Update -- June 2, 2025
Well, last week was a pretty terrible week for our work. The biggest news is that the administration intends to end CARE and Enduring Welcome permanently (more details below) and there really isn’t much that can be done, unless Congress takes action.
On Thursday, May 29th we learned that the office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) is being eliminated at the State Department as part of the department reorganization. The State Department sent a Congressional Notification (CN 25-032) to the Hill in which it was stated that CARE will be abolished (page 8). This conflicts with the CARE Authorization Act passed in last year’s NDAA in December, which directed the Secretary of State to appoint a Coordinator through December 2027. The functions of CARE will theoretically shift to the Afghanistan desk, however there has been no public explanation of what functions, if any, will continue. The reorganization is slated to be completed by July 1st.
Then on Friday, May 30th we got confirmation from the administration that Enduring Welcome will be shut down as a program by Sept 30th, 2025. This came in the form of the FY26 President’s Budget Request Appendix. It flat out says that Enduring Welcome is ending by the end of Fiscal Year 2025. With no CARE and no Enduring Welcome, it’s clear that President Trump and Secretary Rubio are proactively shutting down this lifeline to our allies.
The reality is, though, if Congress does not allocate funding and authorize additional Special Immigrant Visas, CARE’s mission ends regardless of where the functions live on an org chart.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lisa Murkowski jointly authored a letter regarding the end of TPS for Afghans, demanding answers.
Lots of members of congress have written letters but not a single piece of legislation has been introduced to fix this. We hope to see that happen soon.
In some good news, Reception and Placement (resettlement benefits) have been turned back on for some SIV recipients. Resettlement agencies are working now to come up with mechanisms to triage those who have arrived since Jan 20th to ensure they get the benefits they are due. Stay tuned for more on that.
I spoke at Hazara Cultural Day in San Diego and you can see those remarks on our YouTube. Watch in the background for my daughter, who was clearly tired of me speaking.
What the End of CARE and Enduring Welcome Means for Afghan Families Around the World
Afghans Still Waiting (SIV, Refugee, Family Reunification)
Over 124,000 SIV applicants are interview-ready, with thousands more awaiting COM approval.
Refugee processing is frozen with no plan for continued third-country support or transfers.
Family reunification efforts—including reunification with U.S. military families—are stalled without coordination or follow-up.
For many, this was their only legal pathway. That door is now closing.
Afghans in the U.S. (Citizens, Green Card Holders, Refugees, Asylees, Parolees)
Thousands of parolees have no path to permanent status, and this budget does nothing to help.
Legal aid and case management programs are being scaled back as contracts dry up.
Naturalization and green card processing delays continue without high-level coordination.
Those working to bring family members over may now be stranded in process—without a case officer, timeline, or hope.
Afghans in Pakistan
CARE’s elimination means no one is officially advocating for the estimated 20,000+ Afghans stuck in Pakistan awaiting movement.
Recent crackdowns by Pakistani authorities have made this community more vulnerable than ever.
Without CARE, coordination between State, DHS, and NGOs is gone—and people are falling through the cracks daily.
Afghans Dispersed Globally
From Albania to Rwanda to the UAE, Afghans relocated to third countries under emergency agreements now face increased uncertainty about where—or if—they will ever be permanently resettled.
These families often gave up everything to flee and now risk becoming stateless and stuck in limbo, indefinitely.
Children and Unaccompanied Minors
Many are trapped without caseworkers or active files. Some are aging out of eligibility for family-based pathways.
Coordination collapse means increased family separation and longer delays.
Civil Society Leaders, Journalists, Women’s Rights Advocates
These high-risk Afghans often don’t qualify for SIVs but were eligible for refugee pathways.
Without U.S. relocation programs, they face continued danger and no way out.
U.S. Military and Veterans’ Families
Hundreds of veterans, service members, and Gold Star families have Afghan loved ones still abroad.
The government is abandoning not just allies, but Americans still trying to bring family home.
Community-Based Resettlement Organizations
These groups—often led by Afghans—are losing funding and federal coordination, right as the need grows.
What’s coming up
Ambassador Timmy Davis (U.S. Ambassador to Qatar and Champion of the AfghanEvac mission) announced he would be leaving his post. He will be sorely missed and our mission will greatly suffer. We owe him an extraordinary debt of gratitude. He will be departing in the coming weeks.
I’ll be speaking at a march / rally in DC on Friday Jun 6th. The nonpartisan Unite for Veterans, Unite for America rally will be at 2pm on the national mall. Please let me know if you’d like details on how to attend.
Enduring Welcome Policy update -- STATE DEPARTMENT INTENDS TO END ENDURING WELCOME NO LATER THAN SEPT 30, 2025
Enduring Welcome relocation flights remain paused.
Refugee processing and travel remains paused.
Just under 1200 refugees remain trapped on the CARE platform in Qatar, stuck in limbo after they were relocated by the U.S. government.
SIVs can still self-fund or be sponsored through private orgs, but there remains no government support for their relocation or funding for resettlement upon arrival.
SIVs who have recently arrived (Since January) may be eligible for reception and placement, stay tuned for more details or contact your resettlement agency
If you know someone with a valid U.S. visa, IN AFGHANISTAN OR ANY THIRD COUNTRY, they can register for support at afghanevac.org/self-depart. This form also works for folks who arrived to the U.S. on their own but did not set up sponsorship before arrival and now need assistance to get settled.
Executive Orders -- No Updates
14161 — Still awaiting the report from State Dept to be sent to the White House
14163 — All refugee processing paused. April 20th was the deadline for report to White House from DHS, in consultation with State Dept. The report has gone over but we do not know what the recommendations were.
14169 — Foreign Aid pause caused shutdown of Enduring Welcome relocation flights. No indication on when those may restart, if ever. All resettlement contracts canceled but, if the administration adheres to court orders, many of those will have to be reinstated.
By the numbers - These numbers come from the Daily Enduring Welcome report which was discontinued the week before last, another indicator that the government is shutting this down.
CARE Pipeline (Refugees and SIVs)
Over 212,000 Afghans identified in the CARE pipeline in Afghanistan
Of this number, about 50,000 are in the USRAP category, the rest are consular track (SIV/IV/etc)
Over 50,000 Afghans outside of Afghanistan in the CARE pipeline
Of this number, about 25,000 are in the USRAP category, the rest are consular track (SIV/IV/etc)
More than 55,000 Afghans in Afghanistan are far enough along in vetting to be manifested or in the process of manifesting
There are 12,000 individuals in the “family reunification” category in Afghanistan alone, awaiting reunification with loved ones here in the US
3,000 individuals are family of active duty U.S. military, trapped because they are in the USRAP pipeline. 200 of those are in Qatar, trapped on the U.S. Government facility with no pathway to safety. There are about 1,000 other refugees also stuck in Doha.
About 200 American Citizens are still in Afghanistan, most of whom are waiting with family members in the relocation process.
Total SIV pipeline numbers
About 163,000 Afghans with Chief of Mission (COM) approval
Over 31,000 Principal Applicants
About 132,000 family members (called derivatives)
125,000 of those with Chief of Mission Approval are “Interview Ready”
About 50,000 Applicants are at the Chief of Mission stage for approval.
There are 1,000 Chief of Mission decisions happening every week, with about 30% of those decisions being approvals.
There are less than 10,000 principal applicant visas remaining before we reach the congressionally mandated cap.
We need somewhere between 40-50k more to meet the demand.
What to read
State Department Plan Shuts Afghan Relocation Office – Newsmax
State Department notifies Congress of reorganization plan with bigger cuts to programs and staff – ABC News
State Department restructuring scraps office dedicated to relocating Afghan allies – The Hill
As US Ends Protected Status For Afghans, Thousands Face Deportation And Persecution - Radio Free Europe
Afghans in Kentucky fear for future after Trump strips deportation protections – Reuters
Refugees work to create new lives in US despite Trump’s immigration shakeup – NPR
Afghanistan welcomes upgraded diplomatic ties with neighbouring Pakistan – Al Jazeera
US Supreme Court lets Trump revoke humanitarian legal status for migrants – Reuters
Thousands of Afghan refugees face uncertain future as protections expire – CBS 8 San Diego
Afghans in Kentucky fear for future after Trump strips deportation protections – AOL
What you can do to help
Send a letter to your Member of Congress asking them to push back on the Trump Administration’s decision to end Enduring Welcome operations.
Donate to AfghanEvac. Ongoing advocacy and information sharing is more critical now than ever. Thank you to everyone who has already given. If you haven’t, or if you’re moved to contribute more, please visit afghanevac.org/donate or contact us to plan an event in your area.
Call and email your elected officials and ask them to take action - use that link to look up who your reps are and use this one to look at our draft letter to them. Visit our website and share with your state and local representatives our draft resolution.
Forward this email to people you know need the information. If you know people who want to get this email but are currently not, send them to afghanevac.org/engage and we’ll get them signed up.
As always, we will keep you updated as developments take place.
If you find these valuable, please make a donation to support our work at afghanevac.org/donate
There were more than 100 stories published this week about Afghans. I think that’s worth noting. Do not give up, we certainly are not.
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