Trump Administration Plan to Transfer Afghan Allies to DRC Betrays Wartime Commitments and Puts Lives at Risk 

Washington, D.C. — A new Trump administration plan to transfer more than 1,100 at-risk Afghans, including former interpreters for the U.S. military, former members of the Afghan Special Operations forces, family members of American service members, and over 400 children, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the former U.S. military base at Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) in Qatar is a fundamental betrayal of U.S. promises to protect U.S. allies and those put at risk due to their support for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. 

These individuals and families were evacuated to CAS by the U.S. government with promises of being relocated to the United States, and have since been stranded after the Trump administration shut down all safe pathways to the United States. Any transfers to the DRC cannot be viewed as voluntary when considered alongside the only other option families have: return to Afghanistan where they would face certain risk due to their association with the country forcing them into this impossible and perilous choice. This follows the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Afghans in 2025, shutter the Office for the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts in the State Department, and halt processing of other immigration applications for Afghan nationals. 

Uzra Zeya, CEO and President of Human Rights First responded: “The United States broke its solemn promise to Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah who directly supported U.S. forces in Afghanistan and were assured our government would ensure their protection. For the past year, the Trump administration has stranded them and many more at-risk Afghans abroad and still trapped in Afghanistan, due to its racist travel bans. This wholesale U.S. abandonment leaves hundreds of thousands of Afghans at grave risk of harm precisely due to their association with and help to our military and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. This plan for what are effectively forced transfers to the DRC is not only immoral but deeply shortsighted, jeopardizing the lives of over 1,100 Afghan allies and any future trust in the commitments of the U.S. government.”