FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2024
Congressional Inaction Threatens Critical Program to Help Thousands of U.S. Allies
San Diego, California — The #AfghanEvac Coalition is urging Congress to take immediate action to expand the number of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) available to Afghans who worked alongside American forces during the Afghanistan War. These visas are critically needed to enable our wartime allies to receive the benefit they earned to resettle in the United States and to ensure the SIV program remains viable.
“Time is running out for our Afghan allies. If Congress doesn’t authorize additional visas right away, the program granting our allies safe passage risks total collapse. This isn’t just a bureaucratic hurdle, it’s a potential abandonment of the very people who risked their lives alongside us,” said Shawn VanDiver, President of #AfghanEvac.
The Biden Administration has asked Congress to authorize an additional 20,000 visas in their upcoming appropriations bill. During a press briefing at the White House this week, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby emphasized the critical need, saying, “And, look, on Afghan SIVs, I think, as you know, we project that all 7,000 remaining Afghan SIV numbers are going to be exhausted by August of this year, so the end of the summer, at the current rates that they’re being issued. So that’s why we requested from Congress an increase of 20,000 SIVs, which would provide a visa for all individuals with a demonstrated eligibility for the program. And so we’re going to continue to urge Congress to move forward on that.”
The Afghan SIV program was established by Congress in 2009 to ensure wartime allies have a pathway to safety and a shot at their American dream after serving alongside U.S. forces during our nation’s longest war. Currently, only about 7,000 visas remain of the 38,500 that Congress has previously authorized. But 20,000 Afghans have already qualified for those visas pending the results of their final interviews.
Efficiencies in the SIV program have increased the pace at which the visas are granted, with roughly 1,000 visas issued each month. Without immediate Congressional action, the remaining visas will run out before the end of this summer, potentially stranding thousands of Afghans who have already qualified for this program through their faithful service to the U.S.
“The fact that we're contemplating reneging on our promise to those who stood with us, shoulder to shoulder, through twenty years of war is not just disappointing, it's a disgrace. Volunteers, veterans, and government officials have poured their hearts into creating a lifeline for these individuals, establishing programs and support systems to welcome allies to the life of safety and opportunity they were promised. These delays put our allies in further danger and erode America’s reputation on the global stage. Congress must act now. Granting these visas isn’t just a formality, it’s fulfilling a moral obligation,” VanDiver said.
VanDiver traveled to Washington, DC for meetings with congressional leadership staff on Friday. Final bill text for the spending package expected to pass Congress next week should be released over the weekend. This bill is likely the final available legislative vehicle in which these visas could be authorized before the remaining 7,000 available run out in late summer.
# # #
About #AfghanEvac
The non-partisan #AfghanEvac coalition is made up of more than 200 organizations working with government to ensure the continued relocation and resettlement of eligible Afghan allies who served alongside the U.S. mission in Afghanistan over twenty years of war.
Website: https://afghanevac.org/press One pager: https://go.afghanevac.org/siv1page
SIV Application and Vetting process: https://afghanevac.org/infographics/#sivvetting
###