KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The U.S. State Department has ordered the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to prepare for shutdown by April, according to a Reuters report.
Citing a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the directive, the report highlighted that the shutdown could impact around 200,000 people, including Afghan-American military family members and children awaiting reunification with their parents.
“These comprise some 110,000 Afghans in Afghanistan whose SIV and refugee status applications are being reviewed and some 40,000 others who have been vetted and cleared for flights to Doha and Tirana before travel to the U.S.,” the report stated. It also highlighted that an estimated 50,000 additional Afghans are stranded in nearly 90 countries, with around half in Pakistan, either approved for U.S. settlement or awaiting SIV or refugee processing.
CARE was initially established during the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 as a temporary initiative to assist in relocating at-risk Afghans. A year later, it became a permanent office, expanding its support to Afghans granted refugee status. Since then, the program has helped resettle around 118,000 people, according to the report.
U.S. officials have not yet commented on the matter. However, according to the report, options for closing CARE have been prepared, with the final decision to be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz.
The report quoted Shawn VanDiver, head of the AfghanEvac coalition, which works to evacuate Afghans who supported US forces, calling the decision a “national disgrace” and a “betrayal to Afghan allies.”
However, in a post on his X account, VanDiver stated that the State Department has not yet reached a final decision on the matter. “No decision has been made yet, but it isn’t looking good,” he said.
The development comes amid a broader shift in US immigration and foreign aid policies under President Donald Trump. Last month, Trump signed an executive order pausing refugee resettlement to the US, including for Afghans who assisted American forces during the country’s two-decade war in Afghanistan.
Another executive order halting foreign aid has also impacted the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, a critical pathway for Afghans who directly supported the US government.
The suspension of refugee programs for Afghans has sparked strong backlash from U.S. lawmakers, refugee advocacy groups, veterans, and activists, all urging its immediate reversal.
Speaking to CBS News, US Congressman Michael McCaul stressed the importance of honoring the country’s commitments to its “Afghan allies,” warning that “otherwise, in a future conflict, no one is going to trust us.”
“We promised them we would protect them when they worked with our servicemen and women in Afghanistan. These are the interpreters, the ones who were right alongside our combat veterans. They have these special immigrant visas, and it’s my view that they should be able to go forward with the SIV program,” he said.
“Leaving our Afghan partners behind is something the US needs to fix,” McCaul added.
