A group of 22 US senators has urged the Trump administration to abandon any plans to transfer Afghan refugees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning the move could endanger former allies who supported US forces during the war in Afghanistan.
In a letter dated April 28 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators expressed “profound alarm” over reports that more than 1,000 Afghan nationals currently in Qatar could be relocated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The lawmakers, including Richard Blumenthal, Dick Durbin, Tim Kaine, John Hickenlooper, Ruben Gallego, John Fetterman, Raphael Warnock and Chris Coons, said many of those affected had worked alongside US troops as interpreters, special operations personnel and support staff.
They warned that relocating them to the Congo, a country facing its own humanitarian crisis, would be a “cruel and imprudent betrayal.”
“Should the administration pursue these negotiations … it would constitute one of the most cruel and imprudent betrayals in our nation’s history,” the senators wrote.
The letter says many Afghan refugees currently in Doha have undergone extensive vetting over the past two decades and were promised safety through US resettlement programs after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Instead, the senators said, they now face what they described as a “false choice” between returning to Afghanistan, where they risk persecution, or being sent to a country struggling with conflict, displacement and humanitarian challenges.
The remarks come as more than 1,100 Afghans remain in limbo at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, many of them former US allies evacuated after the Taliban’s return to power. The group includes interpreters, members of Afghan special operations forces and their families.
Recent reports that the Trump administration is considering relocating some of these evacuees to the Congo have drawn criticism from US lawmakers, who warn the move could expose them to new risks.
In response to a question about the reported plan, President Trump said last week he was unaware of it. “I don’t know. I have to check that,” he said.
The lawmakers cited United Nations assessments describing the Congo as facing one of the world’s most complex displacement crises, with millions affected by violence, hunger and disease.
In a post on X, Blumenthal said the proposal would amount to “breaking America’s promise to Afghan allies,” adding that many would face “death and torture” if returned to Afghanistan or severe hardship if relocated elsewhere.
The senators urged the administration to halt any negotiations that would result in the involuntary transfer of Afghan refugees and to instead uphold commitments made to those who supported US missions.
“The United States made a promise to our allies,” the letter states. “They fought alongside our sons and daughters with the understanding that America would not abandon them.”
The State Department has not publicly confirmed any plan to relocate Afghan refugees to the Congo.
