WASHINGTON — Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, has called on Donald Trump to reverse policies blocking the resettlement of Afghan allies, warning that dismantling the existing system will be irreversible.
“President Trump, you have a choice to make,” VanDiver said in a direct appeal. “I do not believe you know what is happening. I do not believe that you know that Stephen Miller is actively working to dismantle a system that has relocated more than 5,000 vetted Afghan allies per month through safe, legal, secure immigration. I don’t believe that you know your administration is about to abandon 3,000 immediate family members of active-duty U.S. servicemen. But you should.”
Thousands in limbo
According to VanDiver, 40,000 Afghans who were prepared to travel to the U.S. have been left behind due to Trump’s policy. An additional 50,000 individuals in third countries are still awaiting resettlement in the U.S.
Among them:
15,000 Afghans in Pakistan had already received approval and were set to travel before Trump’s directive.
3,000 close relatives of U.S. military personnel have also been blocked from resettlement.
Another 10,000 individuals are waiting to reunite with family members in the U.S. under family sponsorship programs.
VanDiver appealed directly to Trump’s record of honoring U.S. service members, warning that his administration risks betraying American veterans.
“Mr. President, you have built goodwill with veterans by honoring those who died at Afghans. You put them on a stage at the RNC. You sat with them in their pain, along with your National Security Advisor Mike Walters. You did a good job for those guys, where Joe Biden failed. You have stood with the troops in speeches and on the campaign trail. You talked a lot about Afghans. And you’ve spoken about loyalty.”
“So do you really want your administration to be the one that throws it all away because Stephen Miller doesn’t understand the bond between wartime allies and our servicemembers? Because that’s what’s happening. This decision is not about strength. This decision is not about security. This decision is not who we are.”
VanDiver urged Trump to take immediate action, stressing that once the resettlement infrastructure is dismantled, it cannot be rebuilt.
“This can be undone today. You can issue exemptions for those executive orders. You can make sure that CARE knows that its work must continue. And you can make sure that Congress’s will is enacted. Congress passed the CARE Act in the last National Defense Authorization Act.”
“Mr. President, it’s up to you. Once this infrastructure is dismantled, though, there will be no bringing it back.”
VanDiver also underscored that, given the billions spent on the war in Afghanistan, the cost of resettling Afghan allies is minimal.
“The estimated cost to relocate each person under this program is $18,000—a small price compared to the billions the U.S. spent during two decades of war,” he said.
