U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) and U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) this week proposed a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would allow Afghans with temporary status who undergo additional vetting to apply for permanent legal residency in the United States.
“This bill maintains a rigorous vetting process while providing an opportunity for Afghan refugees to rebuild their lives in America,” Sen. Blunt said. “I urge our colleagues to support this bipartisan effort to help those who helped us.”
“I am proud to help lead this bipartisan, bicameral effort to enhance security vetting procedures, support our allies overseas, and keep the promises we made to our Afghan partners by providing a pathway for them to obtain legal status to stay here in the United States,” said Rep. Meijer. “Our credibility with our allies and our moral standing in the world depend on the completion of this mission.”
The lawmakers introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act, H.R. 8685/S. 4787, to 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, according to bill summaries provided by their offices.
Rep. Meijer on Aug. 9 cosponsored H.R. 8685 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and seven other original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Fred Upton (R-MI).
Sen. Blunt on Aug. 7 signed on as an original cosponsor of S. 4787, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and four fellow cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Specifically, the measure would establish a legal adjustment process for tens of thousands of Afghans currently in the U.S. who have been relocated from Afghanistan and resettled into local American communities since the U.S. withdrawal from the country in August 2021, including those who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, the summary says.
“As we reflect on the last year without a U.S. presence in Afghanistan, it is clear that our mission there is not yet complete,” said Rep. Meijer. “We still have thousands of interpreters and other Afghan partners who put themselves and their loved ones at risk remaining in Afghanistan, and thousands more who were evacuated to the U.S. now facing legal uncertainty as they try to rebuild their lives.”
“Nearly a year ago, thousands of our Afghan allies fled their homes as their country fell to the Taliban,” Sen. Blunt said. “These evacuees are people who stood by our service members, risking their safety and the safety of their loved ones, in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.”
If enacted, the bill also would establish an Interagency Task Force, led by the U.S. Department of State, to create and implement a strategy to continue the relocation and resettlement of eligible Afghans over the next 10 years. It also would require the State Department to respond to congressional inquiries related to SIV applications or U.S. Refugee Admissions Program referrals, among other provisions.
The legislation has received numerous endorsements, including from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, The American Legion, Student Veterans of America, the Association of Wartime Allies, the National Immigration Forum, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and Human Rights First, among many others.