WASHINGTON, DC – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomes the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral "Afghan Adjustment Act" which would help Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover find safety and security in the United States. This bill enables the United States to keep its promises to the Afghans who served alongside American troops for 20 years.
AILA President Jeremy McKinney noted, "We applaud the bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives that has come together to offer legislation to protect the tens of thousands of individuals who fled Afghanistan after the U.S. departure led to a Taliban takeover. This includes those already here on humanitarian parole, those seeking Special Immigrant Visas or have P-1 or P-2 referrals for the U.S. Refugee Admissions program, as well as those Afghans who have assisted the U.S. mission and remain in peril in Afghanistan. This legislation would be a game-changer, allowing attorneys who are currently assisting in pulling together complex asylum cases to shift to a much more stream-lined process, help many more vulnerable people, and ensure that individuals are properly vetted. Failure to pass this bill would add significant strain to already overburdened asylum and immigration court systems."
AILA Government Relations Director, Shev Dalal-Dheini, added "As we mark the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul next week, this bill is frankly overdue. Afghans in the United States with humanitarian parole face legal limbo once their parole expires. Passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act is a down payment on what we owe our Afghan allies for the risks they have taken for our country. This is not an action without precedent, the U.S. has done the same for others who were caught-up in U.S.-involved conflicts or humanitarian crises, such as the Cuban Revolution, America's withdrawal from Vietnam, and U.S. military actions in Iraq. AILA urges Congress to swiftly pass this legislation so that AILA and its members can quickly take up the baton and help Afghan nationals to the finish line."
