AfghanEvac Warns Trump Budget Could Shut Legal Pathways for Afghan Refugees

AfghanEvac, a U.S.-based advocacy group for Afghan refugees, says the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget would sharply restrict or effectively shut down legal resettlement pathways for Afghans, while shifting federal priorities toward detention, deportation and broader migration enforcement.

The group says the proposal would further weaken already stalled systems meant to protect Afghans who worked with or were supported by the United States.

In a statement, AfghanEvac said the proposed budget comes at a time when Afghan immigration processing is already severely delayed, and when access to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) route has become, in its words, largely non-functional in practice. The group argues that legal pathways may still exist on paper, but access to them has been hollowed out by policy changes, operational freezes and travel restrictions.

The organization warned that, if implemented, the budget would also deal a major blow to the relocation framework known as “Enduring Welcome,” which had been used to move Afghan allies and their families through legal and coordinated channels. AfghanEvac says no meaningful replacement has been offered, raising concerns that thousands of people who were promised relocation could be left stranded.

AfghanEvac further said the proposal appears to request no dedicated funding for refugee and migration assistance, a move it says would reduce the capacity of U.S. resettlement agencies and shift the system away from humanitarian protection toward deterrence and removals. It warned that the changes would not only alter policy, but could permanently reshape the immigration system in ways that leave lawful routes technically open but practically unreachable.

The warning comes amid a broader tightening of U.S. immigration policy under President Donald Trump, whose administration has already expanded detention authority over some refugees and resumed stricter screening measures following a high-profile shooting involving an asylum seeker in Washington. Reuters has also reported that Afghanistan remains among the countries affected by Trump’s renewed travel ban, further complicating access for Afghans seeking entry to the United States.

The Afghan SIV program was created to provide protection to Afghans who worked with the U.S. military or government during America’s two-decade war in Afghanistan. While the program remains legally in place, AfghanEvac says visa issuance, relocation support and travel access have all been heavily disrupted.

Thousands of Afghans who are eligible for resettlement, refugee admission or SIV processing are still believed to be waiting in Afghanistan or third countries, many facing legal uncertainty, family separation and security risks while their cases remain stuck.

The proposed budget has intensified fears among Afghan advocates that the United States may be moving away from its long-standing commitments to wartime allies, leaving many with few realistic legal options for safety or resettlement.

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