US Negotiates Afghan Resettlement in Congo, Concerns Arise

0:00It's April 22nd. You're listening to U.S. News Today, AI-powered coverage from across America. I'm Corey with the story. The Trump administration is in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to resettle 1,100 Afghans stuck at a U.S. base in Qatar. These folks have been waiting years for immigrant visas after fleeing Taliban control following the U.S. pull-out from Kabul. Visa processing for them halted right after Trump took office in January 2025. First came a travel ban on Afghanistan with limited exceptions, then a full stop after a shooting link to an Afghan national. A judge later called the SIV ban illegal, but things remain frozen. Advocates who support these Afghans, many relatives of U.S. citizens or war-era U.S. workers, say the group is fully vetted and cleared. They worry, Congo, plagued by its own conflicts, including rebel fights in the east, isn't a safe or welcome spot. Earlier efforts targeted Botswana as a better option, but those plans collapsed over a U.S.

1:04demand for $15,000 visa bonds from there, citizens. This move raises fears it could force refusals, leaving these families stateless or headed back to deadly risks in Afghanistan. Stay tuned as these negotiations unfold.