Lawmakers press State Department on Afghan allies, CARE office and Camp Asalia reports

Several members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee raised concerns about Afghan allies who worked with U.S. forces and about the department's handling of relocation and visa processing after personnel reductions.

Members recalled that Congress mandated a coordinator and a care office to assist Afghan relocations. Representative Kim and Representative Kamlager-Dove (Kamala?)—and others—asked who now carries that responsibility after the reorganization. Regas said the CARE office functions were moved into the South Central Asia desk and regional bureau responsibilities; he said processing of SIV applications continues under chief-of-mission authority and that roughly $500 million of prior-year funding would support the effort into FY26.

Committee members described cases in which Afghan applicants were in U.S. processing facilities or resettlement sites for extended periods and asked whether the administration planned to close a U.S. facility in Doha known in testimony as Camp Asalia. Members warned against returning people to Afghanistan and urged the department to maintain protections and work authorization for Afghans who assisted U.S. personnel. Regas said the processing work continues and that the department had admitted about 1,200 people under the program since the start of the administration but acknowledged the remaining caseload includes harder cases that have not yet cleared vetting.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed that a failure to protect and resettle Afghan partners would harm U.S. credibility and make future cooperation in crises harder. Several asked for written briefings and named contacts in the South Central Asia bureau to provide more detailed follow-up. Regas agreed to supply written information and said regional bureaus and ambassadors have been empowered to manage the relocations work under the reorganization.