Meijer introduces bipartisan SAVE Afghan Partners Act

Rep. Peter Meijer

U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) on Aug. 31 introduced bipartisan legislation that would increase the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) cap by 10,000 for Afghan interpreters and other United States allies.

“While the U.S. military is no longer present in Afghanistan, our mission there is not over,” Rep. Meijer said. “We still have thousands of interpreters and other Afghan partners who put themselves and their loved ones at risk now stranded in Afghanistan.”

Rep. Meijer is the original cosponsor of the Showing American Values by Evacuating (SAVE) Afghan Partners Act of 2021, H.R. 5134, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO). If enacted, H.R. 5134 also would make clear that those employed under U.S. cooperative agreements and grants are eligible for the Afghan SIV program, according to a bill summary provided by the congressmen.

“By clarifying SIV eligibility requirements and raising the visa cap, we will ensure that our allies are protected, and our promises are kept,” said Rep. Meijer. “Our credibility and moral standing in the world depend on the completion of this mission.”

H.R. 5134 continues Rep. Meijer’s longtime advocacy for evacuating the nation’s Afghan partners and allies. He has worked with Rep. Crow on two other related bills that became law on July 30 as part of the Security Supplemental funding.

First, the congressmen on June 17 unveiled the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act of 2021, H.R. 3985, which increased the number of special immigrant visas by 8,000 made available to qualified Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. government or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions in Afghanistan. The bill also relaxes certain qualifications for such visas, according to the congressional record bill summary.

And Rep. Meijer in June cosponsored the Honoring Our Promises through Expedition (HOPE) for Afghan SIVs Act of 2021, H.R. 3385, which authorizes the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to postpone the medical exam requirement for qualifying citizens or nationals of Afghanistan seeking entry into the United States as special immigrants, says the congressional record bill summary.