Michael Baumgartner and Ryan Crocker: Keeping the promise to our Afghan allies

In war, trust is everything – especially the trust between American forces, American diplomats and the local allies who risked everything to stand with us. For nearly two decades in Afghanistan, the U.S. government routinely employed Afghan advisors, interpreters and logisticians to work beside us to make America’s mission possible.

The world watched as the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal left allies behind to face Taliban retribution. In the weeks that followed, the threat grew. The Taliban has a well-documented history of targeting those who aided the U.S. – hunting them and their families in revenge for their service.

Congress promised our allies a path to safety through the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, established with bipartisan support in 2009. But the program is mired in bureaucratic delays, while our promise has been stretched to its breaking point.

We’ve seen this issue from the field, from the embassy, from Congress, and from the front lines of refugee response – and we know what’s at stake when America fails to act. Our experience spans counter-narcotics work, advocacy for Afghan colleagues navigating the SIV process, congressional efforts to advance their cases, ambassadorial posts in Kabul and Islamabad, advisory roles with veteran and resettlement groups, and firsthand observation of humanitarian operations in Pakistan. We’ve seen what happens when allies are left behind – and what it takes to bring them to safety.

Afghan friends have survived car bombings, drive-by shootings, and repeated death threats. Others remain trapped in a process that has failed to act with the urgency our promises demand. A few have reached safety in the U.S., but others, like one former colleague whose daughter suffers from thalassemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transplant – have waited nearly four years for even an initial review.

To qualify for the Afghan SIV program, individuals must have completed substantial and valuable service to the United States. They must then pass rigorous vetting processes, including multiple rounds of enhanced background checks. SIV holders have passed the gold standard of vetting.

However the SIV system remains overwhelmed and under-resourced. According to the State Department’s latest report, the average time to complete just the first step – Chief of Mission review – is now 585 days. Some cases are taking far longer. As of December, just over 53,000 applicants were still waiting COM review.

Americans were safer and more effective because Afghan allies stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our troops and diplomats. They invested their expertise in our stabilization and counterterrorism efforts. Leaving thousands behind remains a profound betrayal.

Abandonment of our wartime partners sends a chilling message to allies everywhere: that America is unreliable. Who will risk their lives to work with us in a future conflict if they believe we’ll walk away when the mission ends?

The new administration and Congress have an opportunity to correct past failures and reassert America’s credibility. Securing our allies and upholding U.S. commitments not only honors their service–it strengthens our ability to build future coalitions and fight terrorism with trusted local partners.

That’s why we’re urging Congress to authorize 20,000 additional visas in the FY 2026 State and Foreign Operations bill – a bipartisan request now moving through the House. Across the country, communities are ready to welcome these allies.

These individuals have already passed the gold standard of vetting. Authorizing more visa will ease the backlog, restore trust, and show the world that America keeps its word.

At the same time, the administration’s move to end Temporary Protective Status for an estimated 11,700 Afghans is a mistake and should be reconsidered. TPS does not grant permanent residence. It is a humanitarian protection granted to individuals already in the U.S. when returning to their home country would pose serious risks due to conflict or disaster. Conditions in Afghanistan remain dangerous and unstable. For women and girls, they are worse than medieval: girls are barred from school and women can’t leave the house without a male escort and covering themselves completely. Forced return risks lives.

Eastern Washington gets all of this. Some 1,000 Afghans, mainly SIVs, have been successfully resettled in the Spokane area. At Fairchild Air Force Base, in Spokane’s veteran and Afghan communities, and across our region, we understand that mission success depends on honoring those who stood with us. The American people haven’t faltered. Now it’s time for Washington, D.C., to catch up.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner, of Spokane, represents Washington’s Fifth Congressional District and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ryan Crocker, of Spokane Valley, served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other posts over a four-decade diplomatic career.