State Department proposes sending Afghans who helped U.S. war effort to Congo

[0:00] AMNA NAWAZ- Hundreds of Afghans who helped the United States war effort in Afghanistan [0:04] and who are detained now in Qatar may soon be sent back to Afghanistan or to the Democratic [0:10] Republic of the Congo by the U.S. State Department. However, the DRC is in the midst of its own [0:15] deep humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced by war and now seeking refuge outside their [0:21] country. The push to send the more than 1,000 Afghans elsewhere comes after President Trump [0:27] halted the Afghan resettlement program more than a year ago. That program offered help [0:32] to Afghans who faced threats after they aided the Americans during the 20-year war. For [0:37] perspective on this and what could come next, we turn now to Sean Van Diver. He's a Navy veteran [0:42] and president of Afghan EVAC. That's an organization which aids in resettlement efforts. Sean, welcome [0:47] back to the show. I know you briefed members of Congress on this potential plan a short [0:52] while ago. What did you say to them and what was their reaction about this plan? [0:56] Well, thank you so much for having me on today. I talked to staff from a bipartisan, bicameral [1:03] group of staff from all of the relevant committees to this, and people were pretty shocked. People [1:07] are shocked, one, that folks are being sent or that the State Department is planning, even [1:14] considering sending these folks who stood beside us and who believed in the idea of America [1:20] to a war zone, to the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were shocked that these folks are [1:26] still stuck there and haven't been able to make it to the United States, in particular [1:30] because the camp is 42 percent children, and there's 150 plus family members of active [1:36] duty military. And I'm happy to say that we got a lot of interest in running a bill or [1:42] two that would help Afghans both here at home and abroad in Camp Asiliya to get to safety. [1:48] Camp Asiliya, we should point out, is in Qatar, where they have been currently held now for many, [1:53] many months. I do want to put to you, part of what the Trump administration says here [1:56] is their concern. They say that some people in the resettlement program were not thoroughly vetted. [2:02] That's part of the reasoning for this potential plan. What do you say to those concerns? [2:06] I would invite people within the Trump administration to go to afghanevec.org [2:11] slash vetting to see how much extraordinary vetting happened. In fact, the Biden administration [2:17] didn't lessen the vetting standards. They didn't reduce the vetting standards. [2:21] They kept President Trump's enhanced vetting, a big thing from his first administration. [2:26] And, in fact, they built on it. They leveraged AI. They leveraged all sorts of classified tools. [2:32] They built out a pre-travel vetting effort to make sure that everybody who came through the [2:38] Enduring Welcome Pipeline, which ended up being the safest, most secure legal immigration pathway [2:42] in history, they made sure that everybody who even left Afghanistan was already vetted and medically [2:49] screened before they even got to Qatar, the Philippines, Germany, or Albania for even more [2:54] vetting. And I just say that they're either lying or they're poorly informed. And I have suspicions as [3:00] tuition is. [3:13] And if you're in touch with them, what are they telling you as all this plays out? [3:17] Oh, goodness. Well, look, I'm in touch with them every day. I'm in a big group chat with a lot of [3:22] these folks and their family members, and another group chat with the active duty military service [3:28] members whose families are stuck there. And two, a person, one, they're pissed off that the government [3:34] is even considering sending them anywhere but the United States of America. Number two, the kids are very [3:40] worried, right? We're seeing a lot of advocacy from the youth, from the 14 to 25-year-old age range, [3:47] and we're seeing them be very powerful voices. We're also seeing a lot of folks that have been there [3:52] for a while losing hope. People are devastated. The people that are in the military are losing a lot of [4:00] faith in their country. But Afghans still believe in the idea of America. They still want, know that the [4:08] American dream is real, and they want to get here. And so we're hoping that by shining some light on [4:13] this heinous plan, that we can get them here to safety, those that are able to clear. There are a [4:19] few folks at the camp who cannot clear. And that's who the State Department should be focused on helping [4:24] get somewhere else. [4:25] AMNA NAWAZ- If these families were to return to Afghanistan, what would await them there? [4:32] Well, certain death for many. There are women who served in the military and [4:37] fought the Taliban, fought our war for us. There's a lot of people who the Taliban would [4:41] like to have retribution against. And look, it's not as though the Taliban is sitting at [4:46] the airport with a folding table and some chairs and a green visor, checking resumes and exactly how [4:53] long they worked for us. No. Now that they've been at this camp for years, they have a relationship [4:58] with the United States, even more so than before. So it's going to be a lot harder for them to hide. [5:03] AMNA NAWAZ- And frankly, it's a violation of the promise of America [5:10] that is squarely on the shoulders of President Trump, Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio. [5:14] AMNA NAWAZ- Sean, can I just ask you to take a step back here? You yourself are a veteran. [5:18] You have made this advocacy your life's work over the last several years. You're in close contact with [5:24] a lot of these families. If this plan ends up going through, and I should ask you if you think it is [5:31] inevitable, what does that say to you about the U.S., the place it holds? And what are the other [5:37] options for these families? [5:38] AMNA NAWAZ- Thank you for asking that. The message that this is sending is that the U.S.'s promises [5:44] are temporary and conditional and dependent on who is sitting behind the resolute desk. And that just [5:49] cannot be. You're right. I have made this my life's work. I've given up a career. I've given up a lot. [5:54] AMNA NAWAZ- But look, it is so important. Afghanistan was not my war. I didn't serve [6:00] it. But this is my fight because it's a fight about the very promise and idea of America. And [6:05] we've got to make sure that when people with flags on their shoulders are making promises downrange, [6:10] that those are checks that can be cashed by the people who are believing us. I'm irritated. I don't [6:17] think that this is going to go through. I think that this work is going to thwart their plan. And we're [6:22] going to keep working every day to get in the way every time that they try to cause harm to [6:26] vulnerable people. And if folks want to learn more, they can go to afghanevec.org [6:30] slash donate if you want to support our efforts. We're really grateful you're covering this. [6:35] AMNA NAWAZ- That is Sean Van Diver, president of Afghan EVAC joining us tonight. Sean, [6:39] thank you. Good to speak with you. [6:40] SEAN VAN Diver, Thank you so much. [6:42] AMNA NAWAZ- Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. [6:48] Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.