Trump administration to close Afghan evacuee camp in Qatar, sparking sharp debate

The U.S. government has notified Congress of its plan to shut down Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar by the end of September, a facility that temporarily houses Afghan evacuees before their transfer to the United States, according to the Washington Times.

Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, called the move “short-sighted” and warned that closing the camp could severely undermine U.S. efforts to relocate Afghans who assisted American forces during the two-decade conflict. Meeks described the decision as a “betrayal of Afghan allies and U.S. commitments.”

Camp As Sayliyah has functioned as a temporary processing center, where evacuees undergo security screenings before entering the U.S. According to the Afghan Evacuee Oversight Committee, roughly 800 individuals remain at the camp, including prosecutors, lawyers, female special operations personnel, and family members of U.S. military staff.

Concerns over security risks linked to the Afghan evacuation process persist. Government inspectors have highlighted challenges during the 2021 evacuations, noting that thousands of evacuees arrived in the U.S. without full identification, fueling a politically charged debate.

During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, officials revealed the difficulties of vetting Afghan evacuees. Approximately 36,000 evacuees lacked formal identification, and more than 11,000 could not provide an accurate date of birth. The State Department’s inspector general said an eight-month review failed to produce a definitive count of evacuees accepted under the operation. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general reported that at least 77,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under the Priority Rescue Operations (PROL) program.

Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that shutting the camp could endanger Afghan allies. Senator Alex Padilla of California said, “Punishing all Afghan allies today for the actions of a few is completely unacceptable and shameful.” Democrats emphasized that security concerns should not result in abandoning those who supported the U.S., potentially exposing them to danger if returned to Afghanistan.