KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A coalition of U.S. military veterans advocating for Afghan refugees, known as AfghanEvac, says a new poll shows that 72 percent of Americans support admitting Afghans who previously worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
According to AfghanEvac, support for admitting Afghan allies rose from 52 percent to 72 percent after respondents were informed about the role Afghan partners played in supporting the U.S. mission.
The organization said support increases significantly when voters learn that Afghan partners served alongside U.S. forces in roles including interpreters, journalists, drivers and security personnel.
The poll also found that 84 percent of likely voters in the 2026 elections believe the United States should remain committed to protecting Afghan allies who worked with U.S. forces, as well as their families.
Beth Oppenheim, president and chief executive of HIAS, one of the organizations involved in the poll, said the findings show that Afghan families continue to wait for the United States to fulfill commitments made to them.
Oppenheim said the figures represent families whose futures remain uncertain because the U.S. has yet to fulfill its commitments, with some waiting for years. She argued that the main barrier is government inaction, not opposition from the American public.
Shawn VanDiver, president and founder of AfghanEvac, said the U.S. government had honored its commitment to Afghans who worked alongside American forces for more than three years before the pathway was closed.
He said the poll demonstrates that support for fulfilling the U.S. commitment to Afghan allies extends across political lines, including among Republican voters.
The survey also found that 76 percent of respondents support restoring protection programs for Afghans whose resettlement cases had previously been approved.
The new poll has prompted refugee advocates and human rights organizations to call on the U.S. administration and Congress to restore protection pathways and reserve places for Afghan allies and their families in future refugee admissions.
The new findings comes amid broader shifts in US immigration and foreign policy under President Donald Trump. Shortly after taking office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order pausing refugee admissions to the United States, including for Afghans who assisted American forces.
In November 2025, following a shooting in Washington involving an Afghan national who killed a US National Guard member and injured another, Trump ordered a halt to all Afghan settlement programs and visa issuance for Afghan passport holders. He also directed a full review of Afghans admitted to the United States during the Biden administration.
These policy changes affected thousands of Afghans awaiting relocation to the United States from third countries, including former interpreters, contractors, and civil society workers who supported U.S. operations over two decades. Many remain at risk under Taliban rule or are stranded in neighboring countries with limited legal protections.
Refugee advocacy groups, US lawmakers, UN officials, and human rights organizations have expressed concern over the US approach, urging the administration to continue offering protection to Afghans at risk and reverse policies that block their resettlement to the United States.
AfghanEvac is a U.S.-based, bipartisan coalition of military veterans, Afghan allies, humanitarian organizations and other advocates working to support the relocation and protection of Afghans who assisted the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Founded after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, the coalition advocates for legal pathways, including Special Immigrant Visas and refugee resettlement, for eligible Afghans and their families.
