CNSI Statement on Reported Plans to Send Afghans to the DRC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2026

CONTACT: Anna Nix Kumar
akumar@monumentadvocacy.com

WASHINGTON – The Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) today released a statement on the Trump administration's reported plans to send Afghan nationals who supported the U.S. in the War Against Terror, currently living in a camp in Qatar, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“We are concerned about plans to require the group of approximately 1,100 Afghan nationals, currently in Qatar, to choose between returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan or be relocated to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. for their own safety, protecting them from retaliation by the Taliban after standing shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. forces.

“While we understand the concern of these individuals staying in Qatar, the DRC is also currently experiencing multiple crises and is not a safe destination for the group. Those individuals able to pass strict security vetting should be resettled in the U.S. To the extent that some of the members of the group are unable to pass security checks to enter the U.S., we strongly recommend additional collaboration with the international community to find a more suitable alternative for these individuals. America made a promise to those who risked their lives to support our mission in Afghanistan. And we must honor that promise.”

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Leaders of CNSI speak and act solely in their individual capacities, and their views should not be attributed to any organization with which they are affiliated.

About CNSI: The Council on National Security and Immigration is a group of American national security leaders who believe immigration reforms are imperative to bolster and maintain the United States’ global leadership in the 21st century. Find out more here: www.cnsiusa.org