NOLB's Statement regarding the proposal to eliminate CARE

Today (May 29, 2025), the Department of State sent a Congressional Notification including the following proposal: “The Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) Office will be eliminated and its functions will be realigned to the Afghanistan Affairs Office.” 

Since its establishment in October 2021, the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) has significantly improved the resettlement of Afghan interpreters and allies vetted to serve the U.S. mission through the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, ensuring that America keeps our promise to the Afghans who stood shoulder to shoulder with us over 20 years of war.

No One Left Behind worked closely with Congress to enact the CARE Authorization Act, bipartisan legislation that passed with then-Senator Rubio’s support in December 2024. Congress recognized the ongoing importance of CARE and its operations, authorizing the office through 2027. 

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND’S STATEMENT: 

The proposal to eliminate the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) Office is incredibly alarming. CARE’s core mission advances American best interests by evacuating and relocating our allies from Afghanistan. CARE provides critical infrastructure in facilitating processing and vetting abroad, interagency communications, and making evacuations for our allies more secure and effective. Dismantling this office goes against Congressional intent and will slow the processing and evacuation of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), further endangering our allies.

By eliminating CARE, this restructuring sends the message that the promise we made to our allies in arms is no longer a priority. 

Keeping our promise to our wartime allies is not a secondary operation within broader engagements, it is a congressionally-authorized and specific mission to ensure no one is left behind.