US lawmakers demand Trump officials halt plan to send Afghans to DRC
Over 80 US House members, including Republicans and Democrats, urge the Trump administration to scrap plans to send 1,100 stranded Afghan allies to the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing moral and security obligations.
More than 80 members of the US House of Representatives, including at least three Republicans and dozens of Democrats, on Thursday urged the Trump administration to abandon any plans to relocate Afghan nationals who worked with US forces to unsafe third countries. In a letter seen by Reuters, the lawmakers appealed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reconsider the fate of 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting resettlement since the US withdrawal from Kabul over four years ago.
Representative Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and former Army Ranger who led the letter, stated: "It’s both a moral and a national security imperative that our country live up to its promise and watch out for those who put themselves in harm’s way to help keep us safe." Earlier this year, the Trump administration held talks to send the Afghans to the Democratic Republic of Congo, an idea lawmakers now want scrapped.
The situation for Afghans has become more precarious since late 2025, following an attack in Washington DC by an Afghan immigrant that killed one National Guard soldier and wounded another. The Trump administration blamed inadequate vetting during the Biden era, though the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had been granted asylum under Trump. Subsequently, Trump signed an executive order barring Afghan refugees, including those who aided US forces, from entering the country. Many congressional Republicans have withdrawn their previous bipartisan support for programs like the Special Immigrant Visa to help Afghan partners move to the US.
During recent congressional hearings, Rubio was asked whether the administration still planned to send the Afghans to the DRC amid an Ebola outbreak there. He responded that the US was in talks with "multiple countries" about taking them in. In their letter, lawmakers emphasized the service provided by the Afghans: "In our nearly 20-year mission in Afghanistan across four administrations, Afghan allies served in essential roles in support of US operations, fighting alongside our service members as interpreters, contractors and security personnel." The letter also suggested that some of the Afghans be considered for US entry.
