Explainers
Complicated policy. Clear consequences.
Clear, factual explainers on the U.S. policy affecting Afghan allies, for journalists, congressional staff, advocates, veterans, and the Afghans living it.
America made commitments. Policy choices determine whether we keep them.
Last updated September 3, 2026
The Unfinished Mission
Our flagship special report, the full record of America's promise to Afghan allies from 2009 to 2026, and what must happen now. Free for anyone to read.
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Looking for the underlying documents and court filings behind these explainers? Our special reports, government source documents, litigation tracker, and case law all live on The Ledger, AfghanEvac's public record.
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The essentials
New to this? Start here for the lay of the land.
How we got here
The full history in four eras: the promise, the airlift, Enduring Welcome, and the shutdown. The context behind every explainer here.
See the history →AfghanEvac Issues Primer
The essential overview of where things stand for Afghan allies, and what is at stake.
Read the explainer →Family Reunification
How families separated during and after the evacuation can be brought back together.
Read the explainer →Enduring Welcome Manifest Eligibility
Who was eligible for an Enduring Welcome relocation manifest, before the program was dismantled.
Read the explainer →Vetting
How Afghan allies are screened, and why the process is rigorous, layered, and continuous.
Read the explainer →Travel Ban
What the travel proclamation does, and how it affects Afghan allies, including issuance cut to near zero.
Read the explainer →SIV Current State
Where the Special Immigrant Visa program stands right now.
Read the explainer →The Barriers
Everything standing between our allies and safety, from frozen pathways and revoked protections to detention and deportation.
See the barriers →The Polling
What Americans really think about keeping our word to Afghan allies. A bipartisan national survey, and support that jumps once voters learn the facts.
See the polling →Policy
Rules, regulations, and proposals
What each policy change does, and what it means for Afghans, in plain language.
The UK Afghan Data Breach Report
What Parliament's Defence Committee found (HC 69) on the MOD breach that exposed more than 18,500 applications, the two-year superinjunction, and the 884 overturned Triples decisions, and why it has no effect on U.S. cases.
Read the explainer → Updated July 30, 2026Public Charge Rescission
DHS is rescinding the 2022 public charge rule and restoring broad officer discretion over who is 'likely to become a public charge.' What changes, what does not, and why most Afghans stay exempt.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026Asylum Referrals Without Interview
A new DHS interim final rule lets USCIS send affirmative asylum applicants to immigration court without an interview. What it changes, and why the one-year deadline puts Afghans at risk.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026Board of Immigration Appeals Regulation Changes
What the BIA rule changes, and why it matters for Afghans in the system.
Read the explainer →DHS Changes to Refugee Protections on Arrival
The proposed changes to the protections refugees receive when they arrive.
Read the explainer →ICE / USCIS Rescission of the Chamorro Memo
What the rescission changes for the Afghans it affects.
Read the explainer →EAD Rule Changes for Asylum Seekers
Proposed changes to the Employment Authorization Document process for asylum seekers.
Read the explainer →EAD Rule Changes (June 2026)
The June 2026 proposed changes to Employment Authorization Documents.
Read the explainer →Work Authorization
Which immigration statuses come with the right to work, which require a separate application, and the misconceptions that get Afghans wrongly denied a job.
Read the explainer →Heritage Foundation Report Rebuttal
Our point-by-point response to the Heritage Foundation's report.
Read the explainer →Fact Sheet: FY 2027 White House Budget Proposal
What the FY2027 budget proposal would mean for the programs Afghan allies rely on.
Read the explainer →Asylum Fee Rule Explainer
What the asylum fee rule changes, and who it affects.
Read the explainer →Litigation
The court rulings
What the courts have and have not changed for Afghan allies, and what each ruling actually means.
CLINIC v. Rubio
What the 75-country visa ruling does and does not do. The court vacated the public charge visa pause, but the separate travel ban that bars most Afghans remains fully in force.
Read the explainer → Updated August 22, 2026Dorcas v. USCIS
What the Dorcas ruling did. The court vacated four USCIS policies that had frozen benefits and cases for Afghans and others, while entry and issuance restrictions stayed in place.
Read the explainer →Matter of A-Q-R-K-
The Attorney General made one Afghan asylum credibility decision binding on immigration judges nationwide. What it does, what it does not do, and where it stands. A companion counsel annex is available for attorneys.
Read the explainer → Updated September 2, 2026Pathways
Program status
Where the key pathways stand right now.
Fact sheets
Setting the record straight
The facts on specific incidents, against the disinformation.
Regional
Where people are waiting
The situation on the ground in the places Afghans are stuck.
Legislative analysis
We read the bills
What the legislation actually does for Afghan allies.
The Afghanistan TPS Act
What the Afghanistan TPS Act (H.R. 9899) does, section by section, and why it is the immediate bridge for the vetted Afghans already here.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026The Afghan Adjustment Act
What the Afghan Adjustment Act (H.R. 4895) and its Senate companion, the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act (S. 2679), would do, and how the two bills differ.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026H.R. 9773, the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act
A provision-by-provision account of the border bill that would narrow parole and asylum with no Afghanistan carve-out, and the fixes Congress should make.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026Enduring Welcome Act
Our priority bill to make the relocation enterprise permanent, section by section, and how its core provision was stripped from the FY2026 NDAA.
Read the explainer → Updated July 27, 2026The ARCH Act
What the ARCH Act (S. 5375) does to verify and preserve the service records of at-risk Afghan allies, and how it pairs with Section 1080 of the FY2027 NDAA.
Read the explainer →How the Afghan Adjustment Act and Enduring Welcome Act Work Together
How these two bills were designed to complement each other.
Open the document → Opens Google Drive2027 National Defense Authorization Act
Our analysis of the Afghan provisions in the FY2027 defense bill.
Read the explainer →House Freedom Caucus 2026 Agenda
What the House Freedom Caucus 2026 agenda proposes.
Open the document → Opens Google DriveThe primary sources
The documents, court filings, and government reports behind these explainers live on The Ledger, AfghanEvac's public record. Litigation explainers link to the live litigation tracker; policy explainers link to the government source documents and case law.
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Request an explainer Get our weekly updatesEducational reference only, not legal advice. These explainers are provided for general educational purposes. Immigration law is complex, country-specific, and changes without warning. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. If you or someone you know needs help with an active case, consult a qualified immigration attorney or contact AfghanEvac.