US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 4 June told lawmakers that Washington is actively scouting third-country resettlement options for Afghan allies stranded abroad — including thousands currently in Pakistan — as the Trump administration overhauls relocation policies for those who aided American forces during the two-decade Afghanistan war.

What Rubio told Congress

The disclosure came during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday (local time), where Representative Julie Johnson sharply questioned the administration's handling of Afghan refugees and former US partners. Johnson alleged that the State Department had 'dismantled the Office of Coordinator for Afghan Relocation efforts and halted the visa processing for Afghan allies', warning the move corroded American credibility with future partners.

Rubio responded that the immediate priority was to ensure no Afghan ally is sent back to Taliban-ruled Kabul. 'Right now, that's not anyone's plan,' he said when pressed on forced returns.

The third-country pivot

Rather than expanding direct admissions into the United States, the administration is canvassing governments worldwide to absorb pending applicants. 'I think the plan is to find a third safe country where they can go to that they're comfortable and choosing voluntarily to go there,' Rubio told the panel, adding that Washington was 'looking for more and more countries to step forward'.

He conceded that recent executive actions and tightened immigration rules had narrowed pathways into the US itself, even as application processing continues. 'We continue to process the folks that are applying so that their paperwork is in order,' he said.

Why Pakistan is central

The shift carries outsized weight for Pakistan, which hosts thousands of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and other refugees awaiting US decisions. Many worked as interpreters, contractors, advisers, or support staff for American military and diplomatic missions before the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021.

Islamabad has in recent months intensified deportation drives against undocumented Afghans, raising the stakes for any US delay. Rubio said several countries had signalled willingness to accept some applicants, though he did not name them. 'We don't want them stranded forever where they are,' he said.

Choice, not coercion

Asked whether Afghans could be pushed into destinations they did not pick, Rubio insisted the goal was optionality. 'We don't want to force anybody. We want to have multiple countries so they can choose,' he said.

What happens next

The Secretary did not offer a timeline or name the third countries under discussion. With Pakistan's deportation pressure mounting and the relocation office wound down, the pace at which Washington can line up alternative hosts will determine whether the SIV backlog moves — or hardens into a long-term limbo.