The Trump administration is reportedly in talks to relocate around 1,100 Afghans currently stranded in Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Reuters and The New York Times. The group includes families, children, relatives of US citizens, and Afghans who supported American forces or US-funded organizations during the 20-year war.
They are currently housed at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, where many were transferred for US visa processing after the Taliban takeover in 2021. However, processing largely stalled after Trump returned to office in 2025. Afghanistan was later added to a travel ban list, and visa processing was further frozen after a deadly shooting involving an Afghan former CIA-backed fighter.
Advocacy groups say the Afghans have already been vetted and were promised protection for assisting the United States. Critics argue sending them to Congo, a country facing conflict and humanitarian crises of its own, would be dangerous and a betrayal of wartime allies. Some fear refusal could be used to justify deporting them back to Afghanistan.
Humanitarian group World Relief called the proposal cruel and urged Washington to instead honor past commitments by allowing qualified Afghan allies to resettle in the United States.
Sources: Reuters, The New York Times, World Relief
