#AfghanEvac (also known as AfghanEvac) is an immigration advocacy group formed in 2021 to help refugees from Afghanistan settle into the United States following the American military withdrawal from the country. From 2021 through 2025, the group claims to have supported roughly 200,000 Afghan refugees. ¹

Background and Activities

In August 2021, the U.S began withdrawing military and civilian personal from Afghanistan. That same month, #AfghanEvac was established by U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, whom then wrote open letters to the Biden administration and Pakistani government requesting both governments to cooperate on refugee settlement processes from the country. #AfghanEvac later signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of State to support the transition of refugees from Afghanistan to the United States. ^{1 2 3}

While #AfghanEvac does not work on individual refugee cases, the group instead assists outside groups that handle the process. ¹ From 2021 through 2025, #AfghanEvac has claimed to have helped roughly 200,000 Afghan refugees relocate and resettle into the United States including those that assisted the U.S military. ^{1 2 3}

By August 2022, #AfghanEvac claimed to have assisted up to 50,000 Afghan refugees with relocating to the United States. That month, President Joe Biden called #AfghanEvac founder Shawn VanDiver to thank him for his efforts. ⁴ In June 2023, #AfghanEvac signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of State promising continued cooperation. ⁵

In 2025, #AfghanEvac updated its guidelines for prospective refugees, claiming it was due to the second Trump administration adopting increased immigration restrictions, and requested that military veterans lobby administration officials to change immigration policies. ^{2 6} VanDiver also sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to make Afghan refugees an exception to immigration restrictions. ⁷

Advocacy

#AfghanEvac has stated its support for the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) that would grant permanent resident status (green cards) to Afghan refugees, which was introduced in 2022 by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and then-Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). ³

#AfghanEvac also supports expanding existing programs to support the refugee process, including education support in the U.S., as well as establishing more visa application and processing centers. ³

Leadership

Shawn VanDiver is the founder, president, principal, and chairman of #AfghaEvac. VanDiver is also a principal at Gaslamp Consulting, an international relations consulting firm, and the chairman of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. From 2023 through February 2025, VanDiver was the vice president of external affairs of the Athenian Group, a professional services firm. Prior to this, VanDiver worked for almost six years at Deloitte, worked for a year as chief operating officer of the Three Wise Men Veterans Foundation, and served for roughly 12 years in the U.S. Navy. ^{8 9}

#AfghanEvac’s leadership also includes former U.S. and foreign government personnel, including former U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip Kosnett, former Lt. Gen. J.T. Thomson, former Judge Louisa Porter, and exiled Afghan Member of Parliament Naheed Farid. ¹

1. “About.” #AfghanEvac. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://afghanevac.org/about.
2. Linderman, Phillip. “The Veterans Group Running Interference for Open-Border NGOs.” The American Conservative. April 1, 2025. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-veterans-group-running-interference-for-open-border-ngos/.
3. “Policy.” #AfghanEvac. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://afghanevac.org/policy#policygoals.
4. Acevedo, Laura. “President Biden reaches out to San Diego-based #AfghanEvac Coalition.” ABC 10 News San Diego. August 30, 2022. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/president-biden-reaches-out-to-san-diego-based-afghanevac-coalition.
5. “Secretary Blinken Renews Partnership with #AfghanEvac to Continue Supporting, Resettling Afghan Allies.” #AfghanEvac. June 12, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://afghanevac.org/mou-ceremony.
6. “Infographics.” #AfghanEvac. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://afghanevac.org/infographics#reloproc-current.
7. Landay, Jonathan. “Afghans who worked with US should be exempt from aid, refugee freeze, advocacy group says.” Reuters. February 9, 2025. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/afghans-who-worked-with-us-should-be-exempt-aid-refugee-freeze-advocacy-group-2025-02-09/.
8. “Shawn VanDiver.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnvandiver/.
9. “Shawn VanDiver.” #AfghanEvac. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://afghanevac.org/bio-vandiver.