US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the planned closure of Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar would leave Afghan migrants housed at the facility exposed to danger and uncertainty.
Shaheen said turning away from Afghan partners who stood “shoulder to shoulder” with US forces under difficult conditions would amount to a major betrayal of American values. She added that such a move would undermine the United States’ ability to earn the trust and cooperation of its allies in times of need.
Earlier, Gregory Meeks, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, said President Donald Trump had informed Congress of his decision to shut down Camp As Sayliyah, which has served as a temporary holding facility for evacuated Afghans. According to Meeks, the camp is scheduled to close by the end of September.
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 15, Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the plan to close the Afghan migrant camp in Qatar as “deeply disappointing.” She said it was “shameful” for the United States to pressure its Afghan allies to return to life under Taliban rule.
The senator stressed that Afghans at the camp include women, children and individuals who risked their lives in service to the United States. She said the government’s plan would leave these at-risk refugees in limbo, without a clear path to secure resettlement.
Shaheen noted that the majority of Afghans living at Camp As Sayliyah have established pathways for resettlement to the United States and urged the government to honour its commitments and recognise their sacrifices.
She also called on both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to ensure that no Afghan at Camp As Sayliyah is “forced back to a life of persecution and torture.”
