The sponsors of a piece of legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for the thousands of Afghan refugees who have been granted temporary immigration status in the United States announced on Tuesday that the legislation had been introduced in both houses of the United States Congress.
The legislation in question would create a pathway to citizenship for Afghan refugees who have been granted temporary immigration status in the United States. The legislation was crafted with input from members of both parties.
Along with Afghans who worked for the United States government, the bill would also allow Afghan women who served in special counterterrorism teams eligible for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs).
At this time, eligibility for SIVs is restricted to Afghans who have previously held jobs with the United States government.
In the days leading up to the first anniversary of the last U.S. army pullout and the chaotic evacuation operation that brought an end to the longest war fought by the United States and saw the Taliban take control of Kabul, identical copies of the bill were submitted in both houses of Congress. This occurred in the days leading up to the first anniversary of those events.
Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer, who is co-sponsoring the House bill with Republican Representative Peter Meijer, said in a statement that “We must keep our commitment to provide safe and legal refuge to those who willingly put their lives on the line to support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.” Meijer is the Republican co-sponsor of the bill. The bill also had Meijer as a sponsor.
Six senators in the Senate, three Democrats and three Republicans from the minority, have proposed an identical version of the Afghanistan Adjustment Act, which significantly improves the chances of the bill being passed into law. There is only a narrow majority for either party in the Senate at this time.
Despite this, a congressional staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity indicated that the proposal is anticipated to be faced with “resistance” from Republicans who are opposed to immigration. The staffer spoke on the condition that they not be identified.
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Many of the 76,000 Afghans who were airlifted out during the evacuation operation that took place the year before entered the United States on humanitarian parole, which is a temporary immigration status that normally only lasts for up to two years at a time. This allowed them to stay in the country for longer than the norm.
The proposed legislation would make it possible for the evacuees to qualify for permanent legal status if they agreed to undertake further background checks and become subject to the legislation.
In general, the only way for those Afghans to achieve permanent legal status in the United States is to submit an application for asylum or apply for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), both of which are processes that are beset by enormous backlogs.
