Before they left Washington, D.C. for the holidays, U.S. lawmakers helped shore up efforts to relocate Afghan allies to safety.
In its annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress approved language that authorizes for three years a key U.S. government office that coordinates Afghan relocation and resettlement efforts, CARE.
CARE: ‘The crucial job of protecting Afghan allies’
The Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) is an office housed in the U.S. Department of State. Created after the August 2021 evacuation of Kabul, the CARE office is the center of the U.S. government’s inter-agency efforts to relocate at-risk Afghans, to process them in third countries, and to resettle them in the United States.
CARE has made tremendous progress in helping vet, process, and resettle Afghans eligible for a permanent status under U.S. law, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. It also works on addressing the protection risks and barriers that Afghan women and girls face under Taliban rule.
While CARE has been allocated funding for its work, it has operated only on an interim basis and lacked official statutory authority moving forward—creating uncertainty for the future of Afghan relocation efforts under a new administration.
It’s a bipartisan victory and a nod to the importance of the effort that members of Congress felt it was important to authorize CARE to continue the unfinished work of helping Afghan allies.
CARE’s Path to Becoming Law
In May, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada introduced H.R. 8368, the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts Authorization Act of 2024, to authorize CARE for up to three years. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted in support of the bill that month during a markup vote.
Then, on Nov. 20, the House of Representatives voted 334-63 to pass H.R. 8368. This stand-alone vote—only on the CARE bill and on no other larger package—demonstrated broad bipartisan support for this bill and Afghan relocation efforts more broadly.
On Dec. 7, the House and Senate Armed Services committees released the negotiated version of the annual defense bill, the NDAA. Toward the end of its 1,813 pages, the NDAA’s Section 7810 contained CARE authorization language— authorizing this office’s activities and its ability to enter personnel contracts for the next three years.
The House of Representatives passed the NDAA containing the CARE language on Dec. 11—with the Senate following suit on Dec. 18.
A Coalition of Willing Partners
Global Refuge, in partnership with Evacuate Our Allies and Refugee Council USA coalition members such as No One Left Behind and Church World Service, helped coordinate advocacy efforts on CARE authorization. Global Refuge thanks the leadership of outgoing House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada, and Rep. Jim Baird of Indiana for their leadership and months-long efforts to support CARE authorization—as well as House and Senate Armed Services Committee leadership for including CARE authorization in the negotiated NDAA.
Titus said the passage of CARE authorization language “underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan.”
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies,” Titus said in a statement. “By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
Appropriations, authorization issues ahead in 2025
While celebrating this important step to protect at-risk Afghans, advocates recognize that more work remains to be done to support the work of welcome in the 119th Congress, which convenes in January.
A version of the Afghan Adjustment Act was not included in the NDAA or a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open past Dec. 20.
Furthermore, Congress did not authorize additional visas for the Afghan SIV program. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this month that additional visas will be needed in the coming months for Afghans who are in the Chief of Mission stage of the program—demonstrating their eligibility for SIVs through their work alongside the U.S. military or government during the war in Afghanistan.
The continuing resolution did not include a funding request for $1.56 billion for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA) account, which supports states and local communities by supporting Office of Refugee Resettlement programming.
The 119th Congress should appropriately fund the REA account to support refugees, Afghan allies, and other immigrants becoming self-sufficient and integrated into their new communities.
Early next year, Congress should take up authorization requests that have enjoyed bipartisan support, such as extending benefits to newly arriving Ukrainians, renewing the Lautenberg Amendment program to reunify families affected by religious persecution, or authorizing more visas for the Afghan SIV program.
Global Refuge will continue its appropriations and authorizations advocacy in 2025 to support the work of welcome. Join us by signing up for our newsletter, which highlights opportunities to engage with your members of Congress.
