Tomorrow @ Noon ET - The Unfinished Mission: Afghan SIV Partners, U.S. Veterans, and the Legacy of War
The inaugural panel of the Quincy Institute’s Veterans in Foreign Policy Initiative.

Throughout the war in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans served alongside U.S. troops as interpreters, a vital role that kept the mission moving. The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was meant to offer them safety in the U.S., yet many remain trapped in legal limbo, facing ongoing threats.

Since 2009, the State Department has issued about 117,000 Afghan SIVs. But when Kabul fell on August 15, 2021, 81,000 applicants were still waiting. At least 78,000 were left behind when the last U.S. military plane departed. Eligible SIV applicants have faced numerous obstacles, often relying on humanitarian parole while being stranded abroad due to bureaucratic delays and slow processing. Under the Trump administration, the SIV program has been effectively frozen, leaving approximately 40,000 Afghans in limbo.

Join us for the inaugural panel of the Quincy Institute’s Veterans in Foreign Policy Initiative, which highlights issues important to veterans and their role in shaping foreign policy debates.
March 2025

18
12:00 PM ET
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Join us for a timely and important discussion with:

Shawn VanDiver 

Shawn VanDiver is the founder of #AfghanEvac and vice president of External Affairs at Athenian Group where he works with government leaders to identify innovative solutions to long-term civic challenges. A vocal proponent of civic engagement at all levels, Shawn serves as Vice Chair of the San Diego Convention Center.

Rahmat Mokhtar

Rahmat Mokhtar served as an interpreter from 2011 to 2014, including for U.S. Marines in Helmand Province during the peak of the U.S. surge in Afghanistan. He left Afghanistan in 2016 on a Special Immigrant Visa and now works as a senior finance coordinator for the International Rescue Committee’s Center for Economic Opportunity.

Jessica Bradley Rushing

Jessica served as the acting director and deputy director for Communications & Engagement in the Office of Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) in the State Department’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau (SCA). She previously worked as a veterans caseworker and district representative in the Office of Congressman Bill Keating (MA09). 

Adam Weinstein (Moderator)

Adam Weinstein is deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute. He previously worked for KPMG’s international trade practice. Adam’s current research focuses on security, trade, and rule of law in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East. He has conducted extensive research travel in Pakistan, Iraq, and the greater Middle East.
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