More than 1,000 Afghan allies and their families face an uncertain future as the U.S. government prepares to close the only U.S.-run Afghan refugee camp on Tuesday.
The State Department told the refugees they must leave Camp As Sayliyah, a former U.S. military base located just outside Doha, Qatar, by end of March. The administration is instructing the allies to either find a third country or repatriate to Afghanistan.
A State Department spokesperson said it’s “inappropriate” for people to remain at the camp, which is situated in the midst of the Iran war under the constant threat of missile and drone strikes. The U.S. government stated it is no longer appropriate to keep the camp open.
Advocates warn that closing the camp without a "real plan” is a betrayal of the promise made to these allies and could result in persecution, imprisonment, or death if they are forced to return to Afghanistan.
"These allies essentially have a red, white and blue target on their backs because of their affiliation with the US. So the idea that they could safely return to Afghanistan isn't just absurd, it's downright dangerous," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said.
The allies and their families at the camp are civilians who worked closely with the U.S. during its 20-year war in Afghanistan. More than half of those at the camp are women and children, and many are the immediate relatives of U.S. military personnel. They are highly vetted and have been approved for resettlement in the U.S. However, they’ve been stuck in limbo after the Trump administration suspended relocation pathways.
“They went through years of background checks, biometric screenings, multiple interviews, really the most rigorous vetting of any category of person seeking entry to the U.S., and they were cleared,” Vignarajah said. “All we're asking is that the government follow through on its word. That means not shutting down this camp on March 31 and calling that a solution when there is no real plan for where these people go next.”
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Advocates also argue that closing the camp impacts national security by sending the wrong message to current and future partners in conflict zones.
"Abandoning our allies doesn't make America safer. It makes us less safe for every future conflict. The only way the U.S. wages a 21st century war is with local support. The promise that we make to allies that we will not leave them behind is foundational to our ability to recruit partners in future conflicts," Vignarajah said
“When we break that promise publicly and visibly, we are telling the world, don't trust America,” Vignarajah added. “And that message has consequences that extend far beyond Afghanistan."
