Congress has so far failed to create a path of residence for Afghans who worked alongside American soldiers in America’s longest war, pushing tens of thousands of refugees who fled Taliban control more than two years ago and now live in limbo. in the United States.
Some lawmakers had hoped to resolve Afghans’ immigration status as part of a government funding package later in the year. But that effort failed, throwing the question into the new year when Republicans take power in the House. The result is great uncertainty for refugees who now face a congressional action deadline of August before their temporary parole status expires.
Nearly 76,000 Afghans who have worked with US soldiers since 2001 as translators, interpreters and partners arrived in the US on military planes after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The government admitted the refugees on temporary parole as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the biggest resettlement effort in the country in decades, with the promise of a path to a lifetime in the US for their service.
Mohammad Behzad Hakkak, 30, is among the Afghans awaiting a settlement, unable to work or settle in his new community in Fairfax, Va., under parole. Hakkak worked as a partner to the US mission in Afghanistan as a human rights advocate in the now defunct Afghan government.
“We lost everything in Afghanistan” after the Taliban returned to power, he said. “And now, we don’t know about our future here.”
Last year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, backed by organizations of veterans and former military officers, lobbied Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would prevent Afghans from being held without lawful residency status when their two years of freedom humanitarian parole expired. in August 2023. This would allow qualified Afghans to apply for US citizenship, as has been done for refugees in the past, including those from Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq.
Proponents of the proposal thought it might free up Congress after the November election because it has overwhelming bipartisan support. But they said their efforts were thwarted by one man: Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration issues.
“We’ve never seen support for legislation like this and it didn’t pass,” said Shawn Van Diver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition that supports Afghan resettlement efforts. “It’s really frustrating to me that a guy from Iowa can block this.”
Grassley has argued for months that the bill goes too far in including evacuees beyond those “who have been our partners for the last 20 years” by providing a pathway to residence without the proper screening required.
“First and foremost, the people who help our country should have the promise we made to them,” Grassley told the Associated Press. “There is some disagreement on the verification process. This has been a problem and has not yet been resolved.”
Supporters of the legislation dismiss these concerns. More than 30 retired military officers, including three former Chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote to Congress saying the bill not only “promotes the national security interests of the United States” but is also “a moral imperative.”
The proposal, if approved, would provide a streamlined and prioritized adjustment process for Afghan nationals who supported the US mission in Afghanistan. The Department of Homeland Security would adjust the status of eligible evacuees to provide them with lawful permanent resident status after they have gone through rigorous screening and screening procedures. It would also improve and expand protections for those left behind and at risk in Afghanistan.
“Afghan refugees are a very high priority and have had good Republican support, but unfortunately, the Republican leadership has blocked them,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently told reporters. risked their lives for our soldiers and our country, and we must reward them as we have in the past.”
Several congressional aides explained the delay in the bill by pointing to a seven-page, single-spaced letter, obtained by the Associated Press, that Grassley’s office circulated to all 50 Republican senators in August. The memo described their problems with the proposal, resulting in months of negotiations as the project’s champions tried to resolve them.
US military and national security officials outlined the rigorous screening process evacuees went through before arriving on US soil. These security checks, conducted in Europe and the Middle East, included background checks with biographical information and biometric screenings using voice prints, iris scans, palm prints and facial photos.
But Republicans say the verification system is not foolproof. They pointed to a September report by the Inspector General of Homeland Security that said at least two Afghan people who were paroled in the country “pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities.”
As a result, mandatory in-person interviews for all Afghan candidates were included in the bill, as well as requirements for relevant agencies to inform Congress of proposed vetting procedures before implementing them.
Despite strengthening the vetting process over months of negotiations, the bill never made it out of the Judiciary Committee and failed to make it onto the newly approved $1.7 trillion government financing bill.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was a major sponsor of the bill. “If this is what we do when they come to our country, and we don’t protect them,’” she said, “what message are we sending to the rest of the world that we stand with our soldiers, that we protect them, that we provide security for their families. ?”
But Klobuchar and the main Republican co-sponsor, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have promised to bring the bill back again in the new session of Congress starting in January.
“This is the right thing to do,” Graham, an Air Force veteran, told the Senate recently. “There is no other ending that would be acceptable to me.”
He added: “The people who have been with us in the fight, who are here in America, need to stay. This will be their new home.”
Most people in the United States seem to share this sentiment.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey conducted a month after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan found that 72% of respondents considered giving Afghans refuge from any Taliban retaliation as a duty and a necessary coda to the nearly 20-year war. .
How can we help Afghanis?
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- Help from Afghanistan.
- aga khan development network.
- icrc.
- International Committee of the Red Cross.
- Norwegian Refugee Council.
- UNHCR.
- unicef.
- world food program.
What can I do to help Afghans? Make a Donation Your support is important. Though conditions are difficult, UNHCR remains to help Afghan women, children and men. This may interest you : What Covid-19 precautions should people take for international travel?. Crews are providing relief to as many people as they can safely reach and will continue to do so. Donations are urgently needed to help displaced Afghans.
Which country is helping to evacuate Afghanistan?
NATO allies and partners continue to work together to help evacuees start a new life. On the same subject : This is where the leading travel experts are heading on vacation this year. In recent weeks and months, more than 470 former Afghan officials and their families have resettled in Canada, 150 in the UK, over 130 in Germany, 80 in Norway and several hundred in other allied countries.
Which country helped Afghanistan the most? The United States was the lead nation in rebuilding or reconstructing Afghanistan. He provided several billion US dollars in weapons and aid, as well as infrastructure development.
How many countries are helping Afghanistan war?
October 5, 2016: 75 countries and 26 international organizations and agencies have pledged $15. Read also : Raimondo warns of ‘deep and immediate recession’ if US were cut off from chip production in Taiwan.2 billion in financial support to Afghanistan through 2020.
What qualifies people for refugee status?
Under US law, a refugee is someone who: Is located outside the United States. It is of special humanitarian concern to the United States. Demonstrates that they have been persecuted or fear persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or belonging to a particular social group.
What determines refugee status? The 1951 Refugee Convention is a fundamental legal document and defines a refugee as: “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of particular social group or political opinion”.
Is it hard to get refugee status?
If you are thinking of fleeing your home country because you are part of a persecuted group there and want to apply for refugee status to come to the United States, you may have read that the asylum application process is lengthy and difficult. That’s true!
What qualifies you as refugee status in the UK?
You must apply for asylum if you want to stay in the UK as a refugee. To be eligible, you must have left your country and cannot return because you fear persecution.
What are the main challenges refugees face today?
What are the main problems faced by refugees? Language barriers, housing problems, access to medical services, cultural differences, raising children, prejudice and racism.
What are the challenges immigrants face today? The language barrier is one of the main challenges that immigrants face. When you don’t speak the language of the place you live, things like finding a job, buying food, and even meeting new people become incredibly difficult.
What is happening with refugees right now?
In the past decade, the global refugee population has more than doubled. According to UNHCR, more than 84 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are more than 26.6 million refugees, the largest population ever recorded. 68% of the world’s refugees come from just 5 countries.
