More than 2,500 visas would be provided through the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program under bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Wednesday.
The SIV program allows interpreters and other Afghans who supported U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and face threats as a result of their service to apply for refugee status in the United States.
Tillis and U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the legislation after the U.S. Embassy in Kabul stopped scheduling interviews for Afghan SIV applicants.
“Many brave Afghans have risked their lives in order to support American troops and their efforts to defeat terrorists,” Tillis said. “In return, America has a moral obligation to provide these Afghans with safety from the Taliban who seek to harm them and their families for assisting America’s mission in Afghanistan. Falling short of this obligation would signal to the world that America is willing to turn its back on friends who stood with our nation, a grave mistake we cannot afford to make.”
McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the bill would ensure the continuation of the vital Afghan SIV program and send a clear message that “America will not turn its back on those — who at great personal risk — stand with us in the fight against terror.”
Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last month that after more than a decade-and-a-half of conflict, the war in Afghanistan is in a stalemate, according to McCain.
“We simply cannot win this war without the assistance of the Afghan people who put their lives on the line to help American troops and diplomats serving in harm’s way. Unfortunately in recent years, Congress has reneged on the promise we made to protect these brave individuals by failing to authorize the appropriate number of Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan translators and interpreters. It’s because of our failure that the lives of thousands of Afghans are in imminent danger from the Taliban.”