As thousands of Afghan nationals endure uncertainty while awaiting resettlement to the United States amid a pause in the process, two members of Congress and a group of U.S. military veterans have warned that the suspension of refugee admissions is damaging America’s credibility and leaving Afghan allies stranded in limbo.
The resettlement program—designed for Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces—has drawn growing concern in Washington after President Donald Trump halted the process upon returning to office.
Representative Michael McCaul, speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, said the United States must uphold its commitments to those who supported American troops.
“If we don’t follow through, no one will trust us in future conflicts,” McCaul warned.
Representative Scott Peters echoed those concerns in a post on X, questioning why the U.S. was “leaving thousands of vetted Afghans—who fought alongside us against the Taliban—stranded abroad while offering refugee status to those who aren’t refugees.”
AfghanEvac, a coalition of U.S. military veterans advocating for Afghan refugees, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Kristi Noem, and Secretary of Homeland Security Sarah Huckabee Sanders, urging them to restart the resettlement program.
“We’ve warned that suspending ‘Operation Enduring Welcome’ threatens U.S. national security. America’s word must mean something. Abandoning allies makes future wars harder and puts our troops at greater risk,” the group said.
Over two decades, thousands of Afghans worked with U.S. forces in security, reconstruction, and development. Many were promised safe passage to the United States through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), Priority-1 (P-1), and Priority-2 (P-2) programs.
However, with Trump’s return to the White House, all three pathways have been suspended. As a result, thousands—like Ahmad Javed Kohsar—are waiting in limbo in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Albania, and other countries.
Kohsar, a P-2 applicant, has been stuck in Pakistan for more than three years.
“I have been living here with 13 family members, facing extreme hardship—both economically and due to police harassment,” he said.
Trump administration officials have defended the suspension, saying it is necessary to conduct a thorough review of security screening procedures. However, advocates warn that delays in resettlement are endangering those who risked their lives for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
