By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - Dozens of U.S. lawmakers urged President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday to roll back any plans to ship to unsafe third countries Afghan nationals who worked with U.S. forces during the war in their homeland.
In a letter seen by Reuters, more than 80 House of Representatives members, including at least three Republicans as well as Democrats, appealed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reconsider plans for 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting relocation.
"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," Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger who led the letter, said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration was in talks to send the Afghans to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as they remained in limbo more than four years after the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul.
The situation for Afghans in particular has been more difficult since late 2025, after an Afghan immigrant was accused of an attack in Washington that killed one National Guard member and wounded another.
After the shooting, Trump's administration pointed to a lack of vetting of Afghans and other foreign nationals during the term of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, although the suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal was granted asylum under Trump.
Trump signed an executive order preventing Afghan refugees, including those who worked with the military, from entering the U.S.
Many of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress have stepped back from what was once bipartisan support for efforts like the Special Immigrant Visa program to clear Afghans who had worked with American forces to come to the United States.
Rubio was queried at congressional hearings last week about whether the administration still planned to send the Afghans to the DRC, despite an Ebola outbreak in the war-torn African nation. Rubio responded that the U.S. was talking with "multiple countries" about taking them in.
'ALONGSIDE OUR SERVICEMEMBERS'
In the letter, the lawmakers stressed the service the Afghans had provided U.S. forces. "In our nearly 20-year mission in Afghanistan across four administrations, Afghan allies served in essential roles in support of U.S. operations, fighting alongside our servicemembers as interpreters, contractors and security personnel," the letter said.
"We urge the prioritization of secure, stable and cost-effective pathways that uphold U.S. national security interests and honor our commitments," the letter said.
The letter also suggested that Afghans who have cleared enhanced vetting and are approved for travel be considered for entry to the United States.
The lawmakers asked for a briefing on the issue by June 24, seeking information including an update on the status of negotiations for third-party relocations and the legal authority for compelling Afghan evacuees to move to a third country.
The letter was also sent to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Nia Williams)
