On July 13, 2023, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (Dem, MN) with five co-sponsoring Democrat Senators and six co-sponsoring Republican Senators introduced a new proposed Afghan Adjustment Act (S.2327). The Democrat co-sponsors are Senators Coon (DE), Blumenthal (CT), Shaheen (NH), Durban (IL) and Menendez (NJ), and the Republican co-sponsors are Senators Graham (SC), Moran (KS), Mullin (OK), Murkowski (AK), Wicker (MS) and Tillis (NC). After two readings the bill was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.[1]
On the same date the identical bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Miller-Meeks (Rep., IA) with 11 Republican co-sponsors and 12 Democrat co-sponsors and was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
At that time, Senator Klobuchar said, “Giving our Afghan allies a chance to apply for legal status is the right and necessary thing to do. This bipartisan legislation will help provide Afghans who have sacrificed so much for our country with the legal certainty they deserve as they rebuild their lives. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this bipartisan legislation and provide Afghans who sought refuge in the U.S. with the opportunity for a stable future in their new home.”
Klobuchar also said on the Senate floor that many Afghans vouched for by U.S. top military leaders ”took bullets for us, literally. And we must stand by them. The decision we make for them of whether we live up to the covenant we made to our Afghan allies is going to reverberate militarily and diplomatically for longer than any of us will serve in this body.” Klobuchar added that the U.S. did not leave Hmong and Vietnamese people in limbo when they were evacuated. Generations later, Hmong people have become police officers, elected officials, firefighters and “pillars of our community.” These Afghans “can’t go back—they’d be killed by the Taliban.” Noting support from many U.S. retired generals and leaders of congressional armed services committees, she said, “It is really a military priority.”
Republican Senator Graham made a similar statement: “It is imperative that America assist those Afghans who supported our country and that fled the oppressive regime of the Taliban. We must let the world know that we do not abandon those who aid America. This bill works toward that goal while ensuring strong vetting to protect America’s own security,”
The press release by Senator Klobuchar’s office noted that this “legislation has received the endorsement of many groups including The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Blue Star Families, and more.
Senate Co-Sponsors Comments About the Bill
Senator Blumenthal observed, ““I know firsthand about the translators and guards and others who served putting their lives on the line. And now in Connecticut, I’ve had the privilege of calling many of them [and their families] my friends. It is a promise. Great nations keep their promises. These individuals are among our most loyal friends. The test is that they put targets on their back from the Taliban. They knew they and their families would be at risk if the Taliban ever took over. Now the Taliban has done it, and they cannot return. Nor can their families.”
Senator Coon said, ““We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Afghan people for the ways they supported U.S. forces for almost 20 years, often at great personal risk. The Afghan Adjustment Act is a first step toward keeping our word as a nation and honoring that debt. This bipartisan legislation would provide a pathway to lawful permanent status for certain Afghan civilians, offering them a way out of legal limbo and the looming threat of deportation with great risk to their personal safety, and after failing to pass this bill last year, we should take it up and pass it swiftly now. Congress has a track record of passing similar legislation on humanitarian grounds, and it is shameful that we have not done so yet.”
Coon also observed that this Act was “modeled after bipartisan bills that Congress has passed in the wake of other humanitarian crises and the Vietnam War.” More specifically, 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;” and
- “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.”
Senator Moran stated the bill would “allow Afghans who sought refuge in the United States to apply for permanent legal residency after undergoing additional vetting.. . . Allowing Afghan allies to apply for permanent legal residency will help provide certainty as they build their lives in the United States.”
Senator Murkowski stated, ““The United States must ensure that we keep our promises to our Afghan allies, and provide certainty for those who fled to the United States and have no place to return. I am proud to join my Senate colleagues in legislation to give innocent Afghans hope for a safer, brighter future.
Conclusion
In the final days of the last session of Congress, the prior version of the Afghan Adjustment Act had strong support in the House and Senate, but Iowa’s Republican Senator Chuck Grassley opposed and prevented its passage because he claimed there were “security concerns” due to purported inadequate vetting of projected beneficiaries of the bill.[2]
Therefore, now is the time to pass this bill!
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[1] S.2327, Afghan Adjustment Act (July 13, 2023); H.R. 4627, To provide support for nationals of Afghanistan who supported the United States mission in Afghanistan, adequate vetting for parolees from Afghanistan, adjustment of status of eligible individuals, and special immigrant status for at-risk Afghan allies and relatives of certain members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes (July 13, 2023); Sen Klobuchar, Press Release, Klobuchar, Graham, Coons, Moran, Blumenthal, Murkowski, Shaheen, Wicker, Durbin, Tillis, Miller-Meeks, Blumenauer Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Allow Afghan Allies in the United States to Apply for Permanent Legal Status, (July 14, 2023); Sen. Blumenthal, Press Release, Blumenthal Calls for Path to Permanent Legal Status for At-risk Afghan Allies (July 21, 2023); Sen. Cooss, Press Release, Senator Coons, colleagues introduce bipartisan legislation to allow Afghan allies in U.S. to apply for permanent legal status (July 17, 2023); Sen. Moran, Press Release, Sen. Moran, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Allow Afghans Allies in the United States to Apply for Permanent Legal Status (July 17, 2023); Sen. Tillis, Press Release, Tillis Co-Introduces Legislation to Protect Afghan Allies (July 18, 2023). Rao, Two years later, a renewed push to help Afghan evacuees gain citizenship, StarTribune (July 30, 2023).
[2] Need To Prod Congress To Enact Afghan Adjustment Act, dwkcommentaries.com (Dec. 17, 2022). See also prior posts about Afghan Adjustment Act, dwkcommentaries.com.