U.S. Bill Seeks to Support Afghan Allies’ Relocation
Four Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. Congress have announced the introduction of a new bill titled the “Enduring Welcome Act” to the House of Representatives.
In a joint statement, they said that this bill revives the program to relocate Afghan former U.S. allies who are eligible and makes it mandatory under the law.
According to this bill:
The Special Coordination Office for Afghan Relocation will be reinstated and formalized
A database will be established to track the cases of eligible Afghan refugees
The U.S. government will be obligated to expedite the process of relocating former Afghan allies of U.S. forces and reuniting their families
Shawn VanDiver, head of the AfghanEvac organization, stated:
“This bill doesn’t expand anything, it merely continues the same efforts that the Afghanistan relocation coordinator’s office has undertaken for the past three and a half years and ensures this process continues for the next five years.”
Who does this bill help?
Holders of Special Immigrant Visas (SIV)
P1 and P2 refugee groups
Separated families
Individuals with temporary permission to enter and reside in the U.S.
Refugees residing in the U.S. and their families
This bill, which aims to reunite families, has not yet been passed.
In the joint statement, members of Congress called on Donald Trump to uphold the U.S.’s commitments to Afghans.
Congressman Mike Lawler said: “I believe we have a moral obligation to fulfill our promises, to protect those who protected us, and to preserve our nation’s credibility for future generations.”
Another member of Congress, Kamlager-Dove, also stated: “Respecting our commitments to our Afghan allies should not be a partisan issue, but rather a moral responsibility, a national honor, and a matter of global credibility.”
However, Ahmad Khan Andar, an international relations expert, commented: “Superpower countries, especially the United States, have always acted based on their own policies and have never considered the interests of their allies; instead, they have always prioritized their national, strategic, economic, and intelligence interests.”
This comes as Donald Trump, on his first day in office, signed an order suspending the U.S. refugee program. Since then, holders of U.S. immigration cases have consistently expressed concern over their uncertain fate in third countries.
