Lawmakers introduced new legislation Tuesday that would reinstate a previously dissolved U.S. government office that led relocation efforts for Afghan allies and refugees.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. — along with several other lawmakers — announced the Enduring Welcome Act, which would legally codify the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE. The Trump administration closed the office just last month.
“We will not turn our backs on the brave Afghans who risked everything to protect our service members,” said Kamlager-Dove in a press release. “Their courage helped save American lives, and now it is our duty to protect theirs.”
Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Dina Titus, D-Nev. and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, assisted with the bill.
CARE handled planning and logistics for the relocation of Afghans who qualified for Special Immigrant Visas, Immigrant Visas and the United States Refugee Assistant Program, or USRAP.
Special Immigrant Visas are granted to Afghans who were employed by the U.S. government, often assisting the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan.
Operation Enduring Welcome, a program instituted by the Biden administration and implemented by CARE, helps to relocate Afghan nationals who are endangered because of their affiliation with the U.S. government. The program is set to end Sept. 30.
The new legislation reinstitutes the CARE office within the U.S. State Department for five years and awards it the authority to assist with voluntary departure requests from Afghans; help coordinating with other agencies on security vetting, facilitating relocation and helping reunite families — including those of U.S. service members; and assisting with medical care.
It also tasks CARE with keeping a database that tracks all Afghan relocation cases.
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Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac — an organization that works with government agencies and volunteer groups to help relocate Afghans — said that the inclusion of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke volumes.
“A bipartisan introduction here demonstrates that Congress and the administration don’t agree on this,” VanDiver told Military Times. “The administration is actually still working through what their policy is gonna be… It seems like they should have figured that out before they stopped a bunch of things, but they didn’t.”
That’s why the legislation is important, he said.
The Enduring Welcome Act isn’t the only current legislation aimed at honoring the United States’ commitment to its Afghan allies.
Congressman Jason Crow, D-Colo., a former Army Ranger who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act on Aug. 5.
The legislation would create a pathway for Afghans in the United States to obtain lawful permanent residence status.
Both proposed laws likely face a long path toward approval, but VanDiver said he expects a Senate introduction for the Enduring Welcome Act soon.
In May, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the end of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghanistan, stating that the region’s “improved security” meant individuals could move back without fear for their safety.
TPS, which was instituted during the Biden administration to protect Afghans from being deported back to their home nation after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, ended July 14.
The end of TPS affects 9,000 people, including their authorization to work, according to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps provide humanitarian relief.
Advocates and U.S. service members openly disagreed with Noem and DHS’s evaluation of safety in the region when the announcement was made.
“Afghanistan remains under the control of the Taliban,” VanDiver said in a statement at the time. “There are still assassinations, arbitrary arrests and ongoing human rights abuses, especially against women and ethnic minorities.”
Afghan relocation efforts stopped completely when President Trump suspended USRAP on Jan. 20.
The same day, Trump issued an executive order that halted travel for individuals with Special Immigrant Visas.
“There has not been a single relocation flight for Afghans since Jan. 20, 2025,” VanDiver said.
AfghanEvac estimates that 150,000 to 250,000 Afghans are currently attempting to immigrate to the U.S.
The ban also affects U.S. service members.
Military personnel with family members currently in Afghanistan told Military Times in February that they feared for their kin, who were actively being hunted by the Taliban because of their affiliation with the U.S. government.
Roughly 200 family members of U.S. troops are caught in resettlement purgatory, AfghanEvac stated.
Trump promised at a White House event on July 30 that U.S. officials would help Afghan allies relocate to the U.S., while casting doubt on the motives of some in the immigration pipeline.
“We know the good ones, and we know the ones that maybe aren’t so good,” Trump said in response to a question about Afghan refugees. “We’re going to take care of those people, the ones that did a job [for us], the ones that were told certain things.”
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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