FIRST LOOK: Bipartisan House Bill Would Restore Relocation Efforts for Afghan War Allies
The Enduring Welcome Act, obtained first by Migrant Insider, would reestablish the CARE office after Trump halted flights and stranded thousands of Afghans.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan coalition in Congress has introduced the Enduring Welcome Act, legislation to reestablish and strengthen America’s commitments to Afghan war allies left stranded after the Trump administration dismantled the relocation program that once brought them to safety. Not a single U.S. evacuation flight for Afghans has taken off since Trump’s inauguration in January, leaving thousands of vulnerable families in limbo.
The measure, led by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., alongside Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Dina Titus, D-Nev., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, codifies the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), mandates a secure database to track cases, and directs the federal government to expedite family reunifications for Afghans who risked their lives alongside U.S. troops during two decades of war.
“Honoring our commitments to our Afghan allies should never be a partisan issue, but a matter of moral responsibility, national honor, and global credibility,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement.
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Lawler said the legislation “strengthens our ability to keep that promise, ensuring that relocation, security vetting, and family reunifications happen quickly, transparently, and with the full coordination of our government.”
McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “Tens of thousands were abandoned during the chaotic withdrawal, left to face horrific violence and reprisal killings at the hands of the Taliban — all because they chose to help us. I’m proud to co-lead the Enduring Welcome Act to honor our promise.”
The legislation requires the State Department to submit quarterly reports to Congress on Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), refugee, and parole cases, including denials and delays. It also orders the coordinator to cut through barriers separating U.S. servicemembers and veterans from Afghan relatives still trapped abroad.
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Shawn VanDiver, president of the veterans-led coalition #AfghanEvac, hailed the measure as long overdue. “This program, built by veterans to bring our Afghan allies to safety, was tragically shut down by the administration,” he said. “Today, through this legislation, Congress has the chance to restore it. In passing this bill, Congress can demonstrate to the American people that we remain united in honoring our allies, our veterans, and the values that define us.”
Titus, who authored last year’s law establishing CARE, said the new bill ensures the office cannot be eliminated at will. “Now it is time for us to have their backs by improving oversight and coordination of relocation efforts, as they face tremendous danger and continued threats from the Taliban.”
The Enduring Welcome Act authorizes CARE for five years, though its reporting and database provisions would continue until Congress votes to end them. The bill is the latest in a series of bipartisan efforts to keep America’s promises to its Afghan partners — and it complements, rather than replaces, the earlier Afghan Adjustment Act which was reintroduced this month for the third time in as many Congresses.
Where the AAA focuses on permanence for Afghans already in the United States by creating a pathway to lawful permanent residence and strengthening overseas visa pipelines, the Enduring Welcome Act is designed to cement the infrastructure of relocation itself.
Together, the two measures form what advocates describe as end-to-end coverage. The Afghan Adjustment Act stabilizes Afghans already here with durable legal status and expanded refugee/SIV access abroad, while the Enduring Welcome Act ensures that those still stranded outside the country have a functioning government office dedicated to moving them to safety and reuniting them with U.S. service members and veterans.
In other words, the bills fit together: one secures permanence and integration, the other locks in federal coordination, oversight, and reporting so no population falls through the cracks.
MY TAKE: For veterans’ groups and lawmakers in both parties, this dual approach is about more than immigration policy. It’s about credibility — showing the world that the United States honors its word to those who risk their lives alongside U.S. forces, and that Congress will act to safeguard that promise even when administrations change.
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