Trump Talks on Sending Afghans to Congo Draw Bipartisan Ire

Trump Congo Afghans: President proposes sending 2,000 evacuated Afghans to Africa as Republicans and Democrats unite in opposition

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump has discussed relocating 2,000 Afghan evacuees to the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing fierce bipartisan backlash from Congress.

The White House floated the plan during classified briefings this week as administration officials struggle to find third-country homes for Afghans who aided U.S. forces but remain stuck in processing centers.

Senior administration officials confirmed the proposal after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called it “insane” during a heated Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Graham said relocating Afghans to a country with active rebel groups and 7 million displaced people “makes zero strategic sense.”

The plan emerged after Trump’s January executive order halted special immigrant visa flights for Afghans. Roughly 70,000 evacuees remain in limbo across military bases in Qatar, Germany and Virginia with no clear path to U.S. resettlement.

White House national security adviser Kash Patel told lawmakers the administration had identified “unused facilities” in Congo’s mineral-rich Katanga region that could house Afghans while their visa applications process. Patel claimed the remote location would “reduce screening risks” compared to bringing evacuees to American soil.

Republican Representative Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret who served in Afghanistan, said the proposal “betrays those who fought alongside us.” Waltz added that several Afghans on the evacuation list have family members already living in the United States after serving as interpreters for U.S. special forces units.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed, the Armed Services Committee chair, called the plan “a moral and strategic failure.” Reed noted that fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels has displaced over 1 million people in eastern Congo since January, making the region unsafe for additional refugees.

The State Department’s own travel advisory warns Americans against visiting Congo “due to armed conflict and violent crime.” Embassy staff operate under strict security protocols with limited travel outside the capital Kinshasa.

Afghan advocacy groups expressed horror at the proposal. Naveed Noormal, director of Afghan Rescue Fund, said sending former interpreters to Congo would make them targets for both Congolese militias and Taliban agents seeking reprisals. “These people saved American lives. Now we’re talking about dumping them in a war zone,” Noormal said.

The plan marks a dramatic escalation of Trump’s hardline immigration stance. During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to “screen every Afghan” and block “dangerous individuals” from entering the United States. His administration has already suspended refugee admissions from Muslim-majority countries and expanded travel restrictions that critics call a “Muslim ban 3.0.”

Internal administration emails obtained by refugee resettlement agencies show officials scrambling to find countries willing to accept Afghan evacuees. Albania, Kosovo and Uganda previously hosted small numbers, but those programs ended after the State Department failed to provide promised visas or financial support.

A senior administration official, speaking anonymously to discuss classified matters, said officials view Congo as having “abundant vacant land” and “willing partners” in the government of President Felix Tshisekedi. The official claimed Tshisekedi’s administration approached Washington about accepting Afghans in exchange for increased military aid and infrastructure investments.

Congo’s embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. However, Congolese officials previously rejected proposals to host refugees from other countries, citing their own humanitarian crisis with over 7 million internally displaced people.

The Pentagon pushed back against the plan during interagency meetings. Defense Department lawyers argued relocating Afghans to an active conflict zone could violate U.S. obligations under international refugee law. Military officials also warned that Afghan interpreters who worked with U.S. forces might face retaliation from Congolese groups hostile to foreign presence.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who helped craft previous Afghan visa programs, said the proposal “ignores basic reality.” Tillis pointed to recent attacks on foreign nationals in eastern Congo, where militias kidnapped three Italian aid workers last month and killed two Chinese mining contractors in February.

International humanitarian organizations condemned the plan as potentially illegal. Refugees International said relocating Afghans to Congo without their consent would violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending refugees to countries where they face serious threats.

The United Nations refugee agency reported that Congo already hosts over 500,000 refugees from neighboring countries, mostly from Burundi, Central African Republic and Rwanda. The agency’s regional representative said adding Afghans “would overwhelm already stretched resources” in camps suffering from funding shortages.

Veterans groups organized rapid response campaigns opposing the plan. VoteVets, representing 700,000 veterans, launched digital ads in swing states showing Afghans who saved American soldiers’ lives. “President Trump promised to bring all Americans home. These Afghans ARE Americans in spirit. Don’t abandon them,” the ad states.

Background

The United States evacuated over 120,000 Afghans during the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul in August 2021. Most worked as interpreters, drivers, security guards or cultural advisors supporting the 20-year U.S. military campaign against the Taliban.

The evacuation effort, dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, became the largest airlift in U.S. military history. Thousands of Afghans clung to departing aircraft at Kabul airport as Taliban forces seized the capital. Footage of desperate Afghans falling from planes became defining images of America’s longest war’s end.

Congress created the Special Immigrant Visa program in 2009 to bring Afghan allies to safety. The program requires extensive vetting that typically takes 3-4 years to complete. Only 20,000 visas were approved before the Taliban takeover, leaving tens of thousands of eligible Afghans trapped under the new regime.

What’s Next

Congressional hearings on Afghan evacuee resettlement are scheduled for next week, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will face questions. Several bipartisan bills are being drafted to block any Congo relocation plan and restore the Special Immigrant Visa program funding. Veterans groups plan mass protests outside the White House on Monday.

Background

Trump systematically dismantled refugee admissions during his first term, cutting the annual cap to 15,000 from 110,000 under former President Barack Obama. His administration added “extreme vetting” requirements that created 18-month delays for applicants already screened for 2 years. Biden increased the cap to 125,000 but struggled with backlogs and Republican opposition. Trump’s 2025 return has seen refugee admissions drop to their lowest levels since the 1980 Refugee Act became law.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has faced continuous conflict since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. Civil wars in the 1990s drew in armies from nine neighboring countries and killed millions. Recent fighting between government forces and M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has intensified since January despite regional mediation efforts. Congo holds vast mineral resources including cobalt critical for electric vehicle batteries, making foreign intervention a persistent issue.

What’s Next

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters he has enough Republican votes to force the administration to brief the full Senate on Afghanistan policy within 30 days. House Speaker Mike Johnson faces pressure from moderate Republicans to hold a vote on restoring Afghan visa programs. Legal challenges from refugee resettlement agencies are being prepared if the administration moves forward with Congo relocations without congressional approval.

The controversy threatens to derail Trump’s broader immigration agenda as he seeks Democratic support for border security legislation. Several senators who backed Trump’s 2024 campaign said mishandling Afghan allies could hurt Republican prospects in 2026 midterms.