[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 505 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 505

   Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the 
    Taliban's assault on human rights, and calling for the Federal 
Government to protect the Afghan citizens who bravely served alongside 
 the Armed Forces of the United States by providing adequate resources 
  for the special immigrant visa program established under the Afghan 
                     Allies Protection Act of 2009.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2021

 Mr. Keating (for himself, Ms. Jacobs of California, Mr. Auchincloss, 
Mr. Vargas, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Luria, Ms. Titus, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Crow, 
 Ms. Houlahan, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Bera, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
Sires, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Courtney) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the 
    Taliban's assault on human rights, and calling for the Federal 
Government to protect the Afghan citizens who bravely served alongside 
 the Armed Forces of the United States by providing adequate resources 
  for the special immigrant visa program established under the Afghan 
                     Allies Protection Act of 2009.

Whereas the House of Representatives must maintain the integrity of the United 
        States by reaffirming the commitment of our Nation to the brave Afghan 
        citizens who stood by the side of the Armed Forces of the United States 
        in Afghanistan at great personal risk;
Whereas the mission of the United States in Afghanistan has been supported by 
        thousands of brave Afghan citizens who have worked as interpreters, 
        translators, and contractors, among other important roles, and have 
        risked their lives, and those of their families, to facilitate the 
        security operations of the United States and our partners;
Whereas the Taliban and Islamic State both view these Afghan citizens as 
        traitors, whose involvement with United States forces should be punished 
        by death, and have followed through on their threats with executions of 
        locals who helped, and protected the lives of, United States personnel 
        deployed to Afghanistan;
Whereas, since 2018, over 300 Afghan interpreters have been murdered by the 
        Taliban for their support of the Armed Forces of the United States;
Whereas the willingness of these individuals to accept difficult and dangerous 
        work was informed by the prospect of qualifying for lawful permanent 
        residence in the United States under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 
        2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) should they or their family members experience 
        a serious threat as a consequence of their employment;
Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) 
        authorized 4,000 additional special immigrant visas for Afghan principal 
        aliens, for a total of 26,500 visas allocated since December 19, 2014;
Whereas the authority to issue special immigrant visas to Afghan nationals under 
        section 602(b) of the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 
        1101 note) will continue until all visa numbers allocated under that Act 
        are issued;
Whereas, despite an authorized cap of 26,500 special immigrant visas, only about 
        16,000 visas have been issued since the program began;
Whereas just 237 visa applications were granted in the last 3 months of 2020, 
        plus 1,084 more for family members;
Whereas the current special immigrant visa program does not allow for family 
        members of a primary applicant to continue with the process if the 
        primary applicant dies before filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship 
        and Immigration Services;
Whereas there are roughly 18,000 total applications pending, with about 15,000 
        of those still at the early stages of the process--including roughly 
        5,000 of those waiting for initial action by the United States mission 
        in Afghanistan and Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs--to 
        determine whether the applications can proceed;
Whereas approximately 19,000 courageous individuals, and an unknown number of 
        their family members, are still awaiting their special immigrant visa as 
        the United States continues its path for withdrawal;
Whereas it could take upward of 2 years for the Department of State to complete 
        its processing of the current pool, assuming that applicant numbers and 
        processing rates remain static, although numbers are expected to rise as 
        the United States military withdraws by September 2021;
Whereas Congress has authorized only 4,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan 
        principal aliens for 2021 and, given the delays associated with 
        utilizing previous years' visa authorizations, it is unlikely to clear 
        the backlog of applicants by the September 2021 withdrawal deadline;
Whereas, on April 14, 2021, President Biden announced that the United States 
        would begin withdrawing its military forces from Afghanistan on May 1, 
        2021, with the goal of completing the military withdrawal by September 
        2021, heralding a possible end to the nearly 2-decade United States 
        military presence;
Whereas, even if all available visas are used, many of special immigrant visa 
        applicants and their families--and more who are likely to apply in the 
        coming months--will remain in Afghanistan following the United States 
        military withdrawal;
Whereas, without significant action by the administration to clear the visa 
        backlog, our former partners and their families could potentially be 
        persecuted once the United States military withdraws from Afghanistan;
Whereas, if the United States fails to adequately protect its partners when it 
        withdraws from the Afghanistan conflict, future partners could be less 
        willing to cooperate with the United States military, undermining 
        national security interests;
Whereas bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have 
        pressed the Biden Administration to expedite processing for the special 
        immigrant visa program and pledged to start a working group to 
        coordinate White House engagement;
Whereas bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have 
        urged the Biden Administration to plan for, and, if required, organize, 
        an emergency evacuation of Afghan partners before the United States 
        military drawdown, if the visa backlog could not be resolved in time; 
        and
Whereas the United States and its allies and partners must stand together with 
        our Afghan partners and provide safe haven from Taliban retribution: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the sacrifices and bravery of the Afghan 
        people in their struggle for democracy, rule of law, and 
        respect for human rights while enduring decades-long conflict 
        and oppression by the Taliban;
            (2) condemns the continued human rights violations 
        committed by the Taliban against women, civil society 
        activists, opposition leaders, students, educators, medical 
        personnel, and journalists, among others, and calls for the 
        group to halt any further acts of violence against its own 
        citizens;
            (3) recognizes the danger that many formerly United States-
        employed Afghan partners and their families face should the 
        Taliban regain control of Afghanistan;
            (4) understands that the United States has a moral 
        obligation and a national security interest in fulfilling its 
        promises to those who have risked their lives to support our 
        mission in Afghanistan;
            (5) calls for Congress to increase by 8,000 the visa 
        allocation for the special immigrant visa program established 
        under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 
        note) and allocate funding that cover the costs of each special 
        immigrant visa under such Act;
            (6) urges the Secretary of State, in coordination with 
        other relevant agencies as needed, to expedite processing of 
        the thousands of applications submitted under such Act that are 
        awaiting further processing by the Bureau of Consular Affairs 
        following the results of interagency security vetting;
            (7) calls on the Secretary of State to press the Department 
        of Defense to improve its contributions to the special 
        immigrant visa process under such Act and dedicate increased 
        resources to special immigrant visa employment verification, 
        another significant contributor to delays in processing under 
        such Act;
            (8) calls on the Secretary of State to utilize other 
        applicable visa categories and sufficiently support refugee 
        screening that will be vital to help Afghans who face a well-
        founded fear of persecution because of their affiliation with 
        the United States and our allies and partners;
            (9) calls on the Secretary of State to modify the special 
        immigrant visa system to allow family members of a primary 
        applicant to continue the application process even if the 
        primary applicant dies before filing a petition with U.S. 
        Citizenship and Immigration Services, if Chief of Mission 
        approval has been obtained;
            (10) urges the United States Government to conduct prudent 
        planning for the possible evacuation of Afghan partners and 
        their families if the security situation in Afghanistan 
        continues to deteriorate and the Taliban assume control of the 
        Government;
            (11) urges the United States Government to work with our 
        allies and partners in taking all available measures to prevent 
        a resurgence of increased violence against defenders of human 
        rights in Afghanistan, especially against those that defend the 
        rights of women and girls, hold political office, are involved 
        in the peace processes, or are otherwise in the public eye;
            (12) continues to support the meaningful participation of 
        women in all aspects of peace processes; and
            (13) calls on the United States Government to develop a 
        strategy for post-conflict engagement in Afghanistan that 
        supports defenders of human rights, especially those that 
        defend the rights of women and girls, and the aspirations of 
        the people of Afghanistan for a democratic future based on 
        human rights, transparency, and the rule of law.
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