Monday Morning Update September 15, 2025

Another week full of new developments – some positive, some not.

Thank you to Congressman McCaul

Off the top, we want to note that Representative Michael McCaul from Texas, who has long been a vocal and reliable supporter of AfghanEvac, our mission, and our Afghan allies, has announced that he will not be running for re-election to the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections. We will be losing a major ally who pushed hard over the last few years to ensure that our government was doing everything possible to keep the promises it made to our wartime allies. We are grateful for everything Rep McCaul did on this issue since 2021 – and we want to share this video with you as a testament to the strength of his support for Afghans and veterans alike who care about this critical work. Thank you, Congressman.

Bonus video – compilation of bipartisan leaders across the country.

DC Roundup

Last week, I spent a few days in D.C. meeting in person with Afghans, advocates, congressional offices, and other hard-working government employees about the current reality facing our Afghan allies, both those here already and those still awaiting their chance at relocation and resettlement. The stark reality is that there are folks in leadership positions in this Administration who are not interested in continuing this critical work. It’s up to those of us who still believe that the U.S. government must keep its promises to remind those folks why we can’t just let this go.

On the congressional side, we’ve been really encouraged at the support from offices for both the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Enduring Welcome Act. The Enduring Welcome Act is up to 34 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. While it did not make it into the base text for the State Reauthorization, we understand that there are negotiations underway to have it included as an amendment. The mark-up on that bill will take place this week on Wednesday, September 17th. We know Chairman Brian Mast is committed to ensuring that the State Reauth is comprehensive and, in his own words, creates “a lasting framework that will strengthen the State Department and benefit every commander-in-chief who follows” – a goal we strongly support. We look forward to seeing the details.

Senate Confirmations for Key Roles

Last week the Senate confirmed individuals to two key roles with relevance to Afghan allies here in the U.S. and those still awaiting relocation: Robert Law was confirmed as the Undersecretary for Strategy, Policy & Plans at the Department of Homeland Security and Andrew Veprek sat for his confirmation hearing to be Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in the Department of State.

Law most recently came from the American First Policy Institute and before that was at the Center for Immigration Studies – both organizations which have not historically been supportive of or friendly to our Afghan allies. Robert Law also worked as the government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an organization which has been classified as a hate group with ties to white supremacy by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This confirmation is obviously concerning given Law’s resume, and we will be watching closely to see what comes from this appointment.

Veprek has been described as a “refugee skeptic” and has advocated for strict limits on refugee admissions – making his appointment similarly concerning. According to Politico, immigration organizations are concerned that this could be a sign that the Administration is going to permanently suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), a decision that would significantly harm tens of thousands of Afghans eligible for immigration to the U.S. under Enduring Welcome.

Updates from CAS

We’re also hearing that the CARE staff at CAS continues to ensure that Afghans stuck there have as much assurance as possible that they have not been forgotten. While refugee cases remain suspended, we understand that folks there are hopeful that if Pacito succeeds, all approved refugee cases may have the opportunity to continue their onward journeys. We realize that there are a lot of conditional factors that would need to be resolved before that could happen, but we’re grateful to know that Afghans in the refugee track who were brought to Doha by the U.S. government remain hopeful and that staff there work to ensure they have information when it becomes available.

Unconfirmed Refugee Numbers for FY26

We are hearing that the Administration is considering admitting between 40,000 and 60,000 refugees, most of whom would be Afrikaners. We’ve heard numbers between 300 and 1500 for Afghans, if any, and we are hoping that larger number would include the families at CAS in Doha. To be clear, these numbers are not official yet and we are awaiting the Presidential Determination from the White House. Whether the number is 300 or 1500, it would be a dark day for our allies. While it would be a really good day for those few Afghans who made it, the number would not be commensurate with the need.

Battle Buddies

We had several Battle Buddies actions last week, including deployments in Texas and Virginia. There were no incidents and we’re really encouraged to see the support from the veteran community for our wartime allies. If you’re a veteran who hasn’t yet signed up to be a Battle Buddy, you can do so here (or share this link with a veteran you think would be interested): https://afghanevac.org/battle-buddies

In the coming months, we expect the cadence of court hearings, USCIS appointments, and Battle Buddies actions to ramp up as TPS and paroles expire and more Afghans lose the temporary protections afforded those statuses. We are working hard to build out the Battle Buddies infrastructure so we can scale accordingly, but if you’d like to donate to help us make that possible, your generous support will be greatly appreciated: https://afghanevac.org/battle-buddies-donate

What We’re Reading

• US officials hold talks in Kabul over Americans detained in Afghanistan – Reuters

• Returnees from Pakistan Say Government Aid is Insufficient – TOLONews

• UN Halts Aid to Afghan Returnees Over Taliban Ban on Female Staff – KabulNow

• Germany In Talks With Pakistan On Afghans Deported Despite Resettlement Guarantees – Afghanistan International

• Taliban clampdown on women forces UN to close aid centres for Afghan returnees – Reuters

• Taliban claim an agreement reached with U.S. envoys on a prisoner swap as they seek better ties – CBS News

What You Can Do

The work we’re doing only seems to increase – and the need for advocacy, communication, and direct action is growing all the time. Please donate to help us continue this critical work: https://afghanevac.org/donate

Spread the word about Battle Buddies – both to veterans who might want to sign up, and to Afghans who may have an upcoming hearing or immigration appointment. Information about court dates and appointments can be entered at https://afghanevac.org/appointment so we can match up available Battle Buddies to ensure that no Afghan is alone as they go through their immigration journey.

Thanks all for your ongoing support – we stay in this fight, and we’re grateful that so many of you are too.