Brothers and Sisters of the Global War on Terrorism Generation:

We have all been shaped by the wars we fought. Some of us fought on the front lines, some supported from afar, and all of us bear the weight of what we saw, did, and lost. We answered our country’s call, and in doing so, we made a promise—not just to America, but to those who stood beside us in battle. That promise was simple: We will not leave you behind.

Now, that promise is being broken. Again.

This is not the first time politicians in our country have abandoned those who risked their lives for us. We left the Montagnards in Vietnam, even when our Green Berets said it was wrong. We left our Kurdish allies in Iraq to face the consequences of standing with us. But when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, in an unprecedented stand for our wartime allies we—the veterans—stood up and refused to let history repeat itself. We demanded that our government keep the promise it made to give our Afghan allies the pathway to immigration that they had earned standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us through twenty years of war.

And for a time, it worked. Nearly 200,000 Afghan allies have successfully resettled in this country since 2021. Because we spoke up, because we fought bureaucracy, and because we would not accept "nothing" as an answer, Enduring Welcome was established – a comprehensive, multi-year plan to give eligible Afghan allies a path to their American dream. 

Enduring Welcome is a safe, secure, and legal immigration system. We built it, and it was working. It was moving vetted, eligible Afghans each month, safely and legally. It ensured that Afghans undergo more vetting than nearly any other group arriving in this country. It was the opposite of the failures of 2021. Enduring Welcome is America at its best—keeping its promises, standing by its allies, and upholding its moral obligations.

But now, the Trump administration is shutting it all down—not because it failed, but because of politics. 

Here’s what it means in real numbers if Enduring Welcome is shut down:

• 200,000 Afghans who were eligible for the Enduring Welcome pipeline—abandoned.

• 45,000 Afghans in Kabul who were ready to travel—abandoned.

• 15,000 Afghans in Pakistan who were ready to travel—abandoned.

• 3,000 family members of active-duty U.S. military—abandoned.

These are not just numbers. These are men and women who served beside us: the interpreters who ran into fire to pull us to safety, the intelligence officers who helped dismantle IED networks, the contractors who supplied our bases. Many of them have already sold everything they own, fled their homes, and put their families in peril based on our promise. Now, they are marked for death by the Taliban, and the U.S. government is washing its hands of them.

We believe this decision comes directly from the White House, specifically from Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. We don’t know if Secretary Rubio, or even President Trump himself, are aware of the implications of this shut down. We are certain that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, does not support this action, because he has vocally and publicly worked for the last several years to ensure an immigration pathway is available for the Afghans he served alongside. 

This is worse than the chaotic withdrawal in August 2021. Because now, we know better. Because this time, it is not an accident. It is not an oversight. It is a choice. It is an intentional betrayal of those we swore to stand with and an insult to the veterans who led this fight.

You may hear many excuses for why the Trump Administration is making this choice.

You may hear “SIV processing is still happening. We are keeping our word.” That is a lie. SIV applications are still able to process but CARE relocation flights have stopped. Processing means nothing if no one is given assistance to travel.

You may hear “We don’t know who these people are.” That is a lie. 

Enduring Welcome operations are not the chaotic airlift we saw in August 2021. Afghans who are eligible for Enduring Welcome worked for and alongside the U.S. mission. They must provide extensive documentation to prove their eligibility. They are heavily vetted. We know who they are – they are the brothers and sisters who fought with us, bled with us, and the reason why many of us were able to return home to our families.

You may hear, “This is just a temporary pause.” That is a lie. 

The State Department is making permanent plans to dismantle the relocation infrastructure that we built, brick-by-brick, through sheer grit and unwavering force of will. All refugee processing and travel has been suspended. Relocation flights have been halted. This is not a pause. It is intended to be the end.

You may hear, “We can’t afford to keep bringing Afghans here.” That is a lie.

The U.S. spent $2.23 trillion—$300 million a day for 20 years—on the war in Afghanistan. The cost to relocate all of the eligible Afghan allies remaining? About 0.14% of the cost of the war. Dismantling Enduring Welcome doesn’t save money—it wastes the billions we’ve already invested and increases long-term security costs. For a fraction of what we spent fighting alongside them, we can keep our promise to those who risked everything for us and we can prevent even further moral injury to our fellow veterans. We can do something different that we’ve historically done and keep our word.

This is not a matter of political affiliation. In fact, Enduring Welcome has had broad bipartisan support both from Congress and from the American people. Just as we had to stand up to the Biden administration when it failed our allies in the Afghanistan withdrawal, we must now stand up to the Trump administration as it seeks to end this effort entirely. 

This is about who we are as Americans, as veterans, and as people who made a promise. When political leaders fail to act, we must lead. We must be the moral conscience of this nation, ensuring that America does not become a country that abandons its allies. We cannot let this become yet another chapter of betrayal.

The fight is not over. Our allies need us to stand with them once more. America’s veterans need to make their voices heard. Speak up. Call your representatives. Demand that the United States government keep its promise to our allies. If we don’t fight for them, no one will.

Find your courage. Use your voice. This is our legacy. History is watching. 

Urgently,

Shawn J. VanDiver
President, AfghanEvac