Monday Morning Update -- May 27, 2025
Apologies for getting this out so late. Last week was another very busy week. We hope that you all were able to observe Memorial Day yesterday in a way that was most meaningful to you.
Details below, but the summary is that we started last week by sending a letter to HFAC and SFRC leadership encouraging them to bring up our wartime allies during the congressional hearings, Congress largely disappointed us, and our very own Jack McCain was featured on Face the Nation discussing Enduring Welcome and other matters related to our allies.
What happened last week
Afghan Support Centers
The state of California hosted an Afghan Support Center in Sacramento two weeks ago and in San Diego last week, serving several hundred newly resettled Afghans from those areas. Notably, no federal government agencies chose to participate in these events – the first time since at least 2023 that no representatives from relevant federal agencies were not present to provide case support to Afghans at one of these events. I was able to attend the San Diego event on Thursday and Friday of last week. I delivered a few presentations in which I shared information about AfghanEvac, available resources, and the current state of operations. It was so lovely to Jill, Lance, and several other coalition members attending.
Updated Litigation Page
We recently launched our litigation page so you can track the progress on the various court cases impacting our allies.
Congressional Hearings
On Tuesday, May 20th Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC). Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Tim Kaine brought up the plight of our Afghan allies during the hearing.
Watch the full SFRC hearing here: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/review-of-the-fy26-state-department-budget-request
On the same day, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Senators Blumenthal and Fetterman asked about what DHS could do to ensure we keep the promises we made to our wartime allies. In response to Senator Fetterman’s case-specific question, Secretary Noem committed to working with his office to ensure that the case was given the review it deserves. She said that it seemed clear that the person in question was known to the U.S. government and had been vetted – a statement which is true for many of the outstanding cases still awaiting relocation. We would encourage Secretary Noem to extend that same consideration to all Enduring Welcome eligible cases.
Watch the full HSGAC hearing here:
On Wednesday, May 21st, Secretary Rubio appeared before the House Foreign Affairs committee for the State Department overview there. Representative Dina Titus asked Secretary Rubio what would be done to ensure CARE operations could continue. He said, very specifically, that he would comply with the statutory requirements. Some have celebrated this but we find it concerning because the statute requires only that the Secretary of State appoint an Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), not that relocations happen. That said, it is clearly the intent of Congress that relocations should continue through December 2027, so we are hopeful that the Department won’t try to get cute about this as our allies lives hang in the balance.
Watch the full HFAC hearing here:
On the same day, the Senate Judiciary committee held a nomination hearing which included the Director of USCIS nominee Joseph Edlow. During that hearing, Senator Chris Coons asked about TPS for our Afghan allies. Several leaders in this Administration have stated that Afghans here under Temporary Protected Status should apply for asylum.
Watch the full nomination hearing here:
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/05/21/2025/nominations
While we are encouraged that so many members of Congress addressed this critical issue in their respective hearings, this can not be the extent of Congressional involvement on the topic. Our Afghan allies deserve more, and Congress should be using every tool available, including legislation, oversight, and continued public action.
Our Afghan allies risked everything for the United States. We owe them more than handwringing. We owe them action, answers, and the promised chance at the American dream.
One Big Beautiful Bill
Last week, the House passed H.R.1—dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—which would severely undermine protections for Afghans in the U.S. and those still navigating pathways to safety. Provisions of concern include:
New Immigration Fees: Annual fees for asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and humanitarian parole applications.
Limits on Public Benefits: Humanitarian parolees, asylees, and refugees would be barred from SNAP and Medicaid.
Expanded Deportation Tools: Boosted ICE authority, expanded detention, and increased vetting for Afghans, including unaccompanied minors.
Punitive Sponsor Requirements: Increased burdens on military and civilian sponsors of Afghan families.
While the bill faces uncertainty in the Senate, these provisions are a warning sign of what’s to come. AfghanEvac will continue pressing Members of Congress to stand up for our wartime allies.
What to amplify
Jack McCain on Face the Nation – Vetting | Government Failures
Our statement about the Congressional hearings last week across whichever social media you prefer – LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | Truth Social | BlueSky
If you are interested in learning more about the vetting our allies undergo before coming here, please visit afghanevac.org/vetting
In the news
Large-scale deportations of Afghans stand to increase terrorist recruitment pool – Washington Examiner
Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghan deportation protection – Washington Post
Full Interview: Jack McCain – Face the Nation
Trump welcomes Afrikaners but turns his back on all other refugees – Washington Post
White South Africans don’t deserve special refugee status – Dallas Morning News
How Trump’s plan to end Afghans’ refugee status affects the San Diego community – KPBS News
California funds community resource event for Afghan community – Fox 5 San Diego
Enduring Welcome Policy update -- NO CHANGE FROM LAST UPDATE
Enduring Welcome relocation flights remain paused
Refugee processing and travel remains paused
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.
There remain 1200 refugees trapped in Qatar at CARE Doha.
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 -
The numbers below have been verified by us and are based on official U.S. government numbers. If you are seeing other numbers elsewhere, they are dated and incorrect.
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 you can do to help
Send a letter to your Member of Congress asking them to push back on the Trump Administration’s potential decision to shut down 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 atafghanevac.org/donate
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