U.S. Senator from Kansas, Jerry Moran, has introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act in the Senate; he says the bipartisan legislation is to allow Afghans who sought refuge in the United States to apply for permanent legal residency after undergoing additional vetting. Currently, Afghans who were admitted on temporary humanitarian status can only gain permanent legal status through the asylum system or Special Immigrant Visa process (SIV), which face severe backlogs and long processing times. Moran says allowing Afghan allies to apply for permanent legal residency will help provide certainty as they build their lives in the United States.
Sen. Moran was joined in introducing this legislation by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C)., Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Dick Durbin (D-III.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and U.S. Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa-02) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.-03).
“The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a dark day in American history. The rushed and chaotic evacuation from Kabul resulted in the deaths of American servicemembers and stranded thousands of our Afghan allies behind enemy lines,” said Sen. Moran. “For two decades, countless Afghans stood by our servicemembers and risked their lives and their families’ lives to support our troops in Afghanistan. Now, nearly two years since the withdrawal, Afghans, who escaped to the U.S., face uncertainty as their original parole statuses are set to expire soon. This legislation establishes a pathway for our Afghan partners to begin a new life while also establishing a critical vetting process to reduce threats to our national security.”
The Afghan Adjustment Act would also improve and expand the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, including by broadening SIV eligibility to include groups that worked alongside American forces such as the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command and the Female Tactical Teams of Afghanistan.
Sen. Moran says the Afghan Adjustment Act would:
· Allow Afghans on humanitarian status who submit to additional vetting–including an in-person interview – to apply for permanent legal status. For these Afghans, the primary options under current law to gain permanent status are through our asylum system or the burdensome SIV process;
· Expand the SIV program to include previously omitted groups, including the Female Tactical Teams of Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, the Afghan Air Force, and the Special Mission Wing of Afghanistan;
· Establish a task force to develop and implement a strategy for supporting Afghans outside of the United States who are eligible for SIV status and require the Department of State to respond to congressional inquiries about SIV applications.
The legislation has received the endorsement of organizations including The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Blue Star Families.