[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                  OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME: EXAMINING DHS'S 
                   EFFORTS TO RESETTLE VULNERABLE AFGHANS

=======================================================================

                             JOINT HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                       SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT,
                     MANAGEMENT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

                                AND THE

                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON BORDER SECURITY,
                      FACILITATION, AND OPERATIONS

                                 OF THE

                     COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                            OCTOBER 21, 2021

                               __________

                           Serial No. 117-33

                               __________

       Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security
                                     

[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                                     

       Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov/


                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
46-713 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2022                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                
                     COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

               Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, Chairman
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas            John Katko, New York
James R. Langevin, Rhode Island      Michael T. McCaul, Texas
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey     Clay Higgins, Louisiana
J. Luis Correa, California           Michael Guest, Mississippi
Elissa Slotkin, Michigan             Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri            Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Al Green, Texas                      Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Yvette D. Clarke, New York           Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa
Eric Swalwell, California            Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Andrew S. Clyde, Georgia
Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey    Carlos A. Gimenez, Florida
Kathleen M. Rice, New York           Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Val Butler Demings, Florida          Peter Meijer, Michigan
Nanette Diaz Barragan, California    Kat Cammack, Florida
Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey          August Pfluger, Texas
Elaine G. Luria, Virginia            Andrew R. Garbarino, New York
Tom Malinowski, New Jersey
Ritchie Torres, New York
                       Hope Goins, Staff Director
                 Daniel Kroese, Minority Staff Director
                          Natalie Nixon, Clerk
                                 ------                                

       SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT, MANAGEMENT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

                  J. Luis Correa, California, Chairman
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Peter Meijer, Michigan, Ranking 
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey         Member
Ritchie Torres, New York             Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi (ex  Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee
    officio)                         John Katko, New York (ex officio)
                Lisa Canini, Subcommittee Staff Director
         Eric Heighberger, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
                  Geremiah Lofton, Subcommittee Clerk
                                 ------                                

     SUBCOMMITTEE ON BORDER SECURITY, FACILITATION, AND OPERATIONS

             Nanette Diaz Barragan, California, Chairwoman
J. Luis Correa, California           Clay Higgins, Louisiana, Ranking 
Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri                Member
Al Green, Texas                      Michael Guest, Mississippi
Yvette D. Clarke, New York           Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi (ex  Andrew S. Clyde, Georgia
    officio)                         John Katko, New York (ex officio)
            Brieana Marticorena, Subcommittee Staff Director
           Natasha Eby, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
                    Zachary Wood, Subcommittee Clerk
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               Statements

The Honorable J. Luis Correa, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of California, and Chairman, Subcommittee on 
  Oversight, Management, and Accountability:
  Oral Statement.................................................     1
  Prepared Statement.............................................     2
The Honorable Peter Meijer, a Representative in Congress From the 
  State of Michigan, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on 
  Oversight, Management, and Accountability:
  Oral Statement.................................................     3
  Prepared Statement.............................................     5
The Honorable Nanette Diaz Barragan, a Representative in Congress 
  From the State of California, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on 
  Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations:
  Oral Statement.................................................     6
  Prepared Statement.............................................     8
The Honorable Clay Higgins, a Representative in Congress From the 
  State of Louisiana, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Border 
  Security, Facilitation, and Operations:
  Oral Statement.................................................     8
  Prepared Statement.............................................     9
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress 
  From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on 
  Homeland Security:
  Prepared Statement.............................................    10

                               Witnesses

Mr. Michael Breen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Human 
  Rights First:
  Oral Statement.................................................    12
  Prepared Statement.............................................    13
Ms. Robin Dunn Marcos, Senior Director for Resettlement, Asylum 
  and Integration, International Rescue Committee:
  Oral Statement.................................................    16
  Prepared Statement.............................................    18
Ms. Naheed Samadi Bahram, U.S. Country Director, Women for Afghan 
  Women:
  Oral Statement.................................................    21
  Prepared Statement.............................................    22
Mr. Art delaCruz, Chief Executive Officer, Team Rubicon:
  Oral Statement.................................................    23
  Prepared Statement.............................................    25

                             For the Record

The Honorable J. Luis Correa, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of California, and Chairman, Subcommittee on 
  Oversight, Management, and Accountability:
  Statement of Church World Service..............................    52
The Honorable Andrew S. Clyde, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of Georgia:
  Article, Wall Street Journal...................................    42

 
     OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME: EXAMINING DHS'S EFFORTS TO RESETTLE 
                           VULNERABLE AFGHANS

                              ----------                              


                       Thursday, October 21, 2021

             U.S. House of Representatives,
                    Committee on Homeland Security,
                    Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, 
                                and Accountability, and the
                          Subcommittee on Border Security, 
                              Facilitation, and Operations,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 2:32 p.m., in 
room 310, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. J. Luis Correa 
[Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and 
Accountability] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Correa, Barragan, Payne, Titus, 
Jackson Lee, Langevin, Meijer, Higgins, Bishop, Harshbarger, 
and Clyde.
    Mr. Correa. The Homeland Security Subcommittees on 
Oversight Committee on Oversight, Management, and 
Accountability and Border Security, Facilitation, and 
Operations will now come to order. Without objection, the Chair 
is authorized to declare the subcommittees in recess at any 
point.
    We now begin by thanking everyone who is joining us today. 
I would like to also thank Chairwoman Barragan and Ranking 
Member Higgins of the Border Security, Facilitation, and 
Operations subcommittee for coming together with myself and 
Ranking Member Meijer and holding this important hearing.
    We are here this afternoon to discuss Operation Allies 
Welcome, the effort led by the Department of Homeland Security, 
to resettle Afghan evacuees and ensure that they have the 
support necessary to build their new lives here in America. We 
know that this transition will not be easy, and to leave one's 
home and resettle in a new country is a difficult undertaking, 
no matter what the reasons are. Unfortunately, many of our 
Afghan allies faced hardship long before arriving in the United 
States. The Federal Government evacuated thousands of our 
allies and brought them to America for a safer and more 
prosperous life, but that is hardly where our obligation ends. 
We now face the much greater challenge of finding communities 
where these evacuees can build new lives and provide them with 
on-going support.
    This means ensuring that our allies will have access to 
long-term housing, employment, as well as access to basic human 
needs like health care, food, and clothing. Thankfully, 
Americans across the country are welcoming Afghan evacuees into 
their cities and communities with open arms. This should come 
as no surprise, since it is a long-held American tradition to 
welcome those who are looking for a better life, and it is a 
tradition that makes us stronger as a Nation.
    I have had the opportunity to observe first-hand how 
refugees can bring new life and new opportunities to America as 
well. My district is home to the largest community of 
Vietnamese Americans, many of whom resettled in southern 
California after the Vietnam War. They have built a home in the 
United States and enrich our society, contributing to the 
creation of a more diverse and prosperous community. I have no 
doubt that our Afghan allies will also do the same in the 
cities they decide to settle in.
    We are fortunate to have seen incredible outpouring of 
support, including from our veterans, faith leaders, and Afghan 
American community members. While the Department of Homeland 
Security seeks to provide supporting coordination services for 
these organizations, it is civil society that has stepped up to 
deliver the local and long-term care for our Afghan evacuees. I 
am pleased to welcome today representatives from four non-
Governmental organizations that are working directly with the 
Government to ensure that our Afghan allies have access to 
those services and care.
    This month, evacuees began moving out of the temporary 
housing at military bases around the country and into local 
communities that have welcomed them. But many, of course, are 
still waiting to see where their new homes will be.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses how we can 
best support Afghans during this critical period and what 
additional support we may provide from DHS and other Federal 
partners to ensure this transition is smooth. I think all of us 
can agree that we owe it to our Afghan allies to get it right 
the first time.
    [The statement of Chairman Correa follows:]
                  Statement of Chairman J. Luis Correa
                            October 21, 2021
    We're here this afternoon to discuss Operation Allies Welcome, the 
effort led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resettle 
Afghan evacuees and ensure they have the support necessary to build new 
homes here in America. We know that this transition will not be an easy 
one. To leave one's home and resettle in a new country is a difficult 
undertaking, no matter the reason. Unfortunately, many of our Afghan 
allies have faced hardships long before arriving in the United States.
    The Federal Government evacuated thousands of our allies and 
brought them to America for a safer and more prosperous life, but that 
is hardly where our obligation to them ends. We now face the much 
greater challenge of finding communities where these evacuees can build 
a new life and providing them with on-going support. This means 
ensuring that our allies will have access to long-term housing and 
employment, as well as access to basic human needs like health care, 
food, and clothing.
    Thankfully, Americans across the country are welcoming Afghan 
evacuees into their cities with open arms. This should come as no 
surprise since it is a long-held American tradition to welcome those 
who seek a better life. And it is a tradition that makes us stronger as 
a Nation.
    I have had the opportunity to observe first-hand how refugees can 
bring new life and new opportunities to American cities. My district is 
home to a large community of Vietnamese-Americans, many of whom 
resettled in Southern California after the Vietnam war. They have built 
a home in the United States and enriched our society, contributing to 
the creation of a more diverse and prosperous community. I have no 
doubt that our Afghan allies will do the same in the cities that they 
settle into.
    We are fortunate to have seen an incredible outpouring of support, 
including from the veteran, faith, and Afghan American communities. 
While the Department of Homeland Security seeks to provide support and 
coordination services for these organizations, it is civil society that 
has stepped up to deliver the local and long-term care for Afghan 
evacuees.
    I am pleased to welcome today representatives from four non-
governmental organizations that are working directly with the 
Government to ensure that our Afghan allies have access to that care. 
This month, evacuees began moving out of temporary housing at military 
bases and into the local communities that have welcomed them. But many 
are still waiting to see their new homes for the first time.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses how we can best 
support Afghans during this critical period and what additional support 
may be necessary from DHS and other Federal partners to ensure this 
transition goes smoothly. I think we can all agree that we owe it to 
our Afghan allies to get this one right.

    Mr. Correa. With that, I thank you again for joining us 
today. The Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member of the 
Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability, the 
gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Meijer, for an opening statement.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this 
important joint subcommittee hearing today, and thank you to 
our witnesses for joining us in this discussion.
    We are gathered here after months of extreme turbulence for 
America and its allies following the U.S. military's drawdown 
and then the full withdrawal from Afghanistan that concluded at 
the end of August 2021. As a veteran of the Iraq war, and later 
a conflicts analyst who served in Afghanistan with the 
humanitarian aid community from late 2013 to early 2015, this 
is a very personal subject, as I know it is to many in the 
room. As the veterans' community saw what was happening, I 
think we all felt a sense of heartbreak and rage looking at the 
images coming out of Afghanistan in August after the swift 
takeover by the Taliban and complete collapse of the Afghan 
government and security forces.
    I was one of the many Americans receiving desperate emails, 
calls, texts, WhatsApp messages from friends in Afghanistan 
seeking aid and assistance. This is a personal issue, as I 
said, and I appreciate how personal it is for some of the other 
Members and witnesses here today, and again, deeply grateful 
for everyone's participation.
    Despite repeated calls and warnings from a bipartisan group 
of lawmakers dating back to April, the administration failed to 
adequately plan for this withdrawal and was not prepared to 
protect our Afghan allies who put their lives on the line to 
help the United States. In the final weeks of August, the U.S. 
military, State Department personnel, and others on the ground 
completed incredible work under impossible circumstances, 
saving countless lives in the process, and helping over 120,000 
individuals leave Hamid Karzai International Airport. This 
group included Americans, U.S. lawful permanent residents, 
Special Immigrant Visa holders, interpreters, and other Afghan 
allies, fearful of what a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would 
be.
    Tragically, given the unimaginable conditions on the ground 
and the fact that the country had been ceded to the Taliban, 
this effort cost the lives of 13 brave U.S. service members and 
scores of Afghans frantically trying to reach safety. Policy 
decisions made here in the District of Columbia put our folks 
in this dangerous position. But every American should take 
pride in the heroism that those on the ground displayed in 
their final days. Every American should, likewise, demand 
accountability from officials whose decisions put them in a 
position that required those very heroic acts.
    My thoughts and prayers remain with those who lost loved 
ones and for those who were left behind in the chaos of the 
withdrawal, and I hope today we can discuss ideas to make sure 
every at-risk individual who served alongside U.S. forces, 
supported the U.S. mission, or otherwise, put their lives on 
the line our mission is accounted for.
    With the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan having now 
concluded, we have largely shifted that mission from evacuating 
Afghan allies to resettling them. The United States has an on-
going moral obligation to evacuate Afghan allies left behind, 
and at the same time, ensure that resettlement of individuals 
who have already been evacuated is completed in a safe, secure, 
and humane manner.
    Operation Allies Welcome is a whole-of-Government effort 
led by DHS in coordination with DOD, State Department, Health 
and Human Services, and other Federal partners to provide 
resources, immigration processing, medical services, 
transportation, temporary housing, and a variety of other 
essential services to the evacuated Afghan population in the 
United States.
    I know from first-hand experience what an incredibly 
complex undertaking this is. Prior to serving in Congress, I 
worked alongside Team Rubicon and volunteered with them which 
is a veteran-based, non-Governmental organization focusing on 
disaster response efforts, both in the United States and 
abroad, and I am very grateful and thrilled to see them 
represented here today.
    While working with Team Rubicon, I witnessed first-hand 
communities around the world that struggled with a variety of 
crises, and our work focused on helping those communities build 
back following a natural disaster. We provided vital support 
and exceptional subject-matter expertise in disaster 
situations, often at times working hand-in-glove with 
governments around the world as well as other NGO and private-
sector organizations.
    Now Team Rubicon and other NGO's are teaming up with the 
U.S. Government to facilitate the successful resettlement of 
Afghan evacuees through Operation Allies Welcome. Their work 
encompasses a wide range of activities for providing food and 
transportation to coordinating with the local communities where 
evacuees will be resettled to help them find housing and 
employment.
    The work that NGO's are currently conducting on behalf of 
Afghan nationals in the United States and around the world is 
key not only to Operation Allies Welcome but to the successful 
integration of these evacuees into their new communities. These 
organizations are filling gaps in the capabilities of our own 
Government during this undertaking, and we have a lot to learn, 
and I am grateful to be having this hearing here today.
    I am also excited to hear how the groups are working with 
the Federal Government during this historic resettlement effort 
so that we can better understand the challenges, how operations 
are going, what we need to anticipate moving forward, and also 
how we can help.
    The evacuees arriving in the United States have already 
been through so much prior to their arrival, so again, we owe 
it to them to ensure the resettlement is better planned and 
better executed than the evacuation was. I was proud to join a 
bipartisan group of my colleagues in introducing the Welcome 
Act in September to provide evacuees admitted to the United 
States under humanitarian parole with the standard refugee 
benefits that are provided to others. I was pleased to see this 
language signed into law as part of the Government funding 
measure that passed Congress at the end of September.
    But there is more that we need to know, and there is more 
that we need to do, and that is the purpose of this hearing. We 
know this to be a long-term, large-scale operation, and as 
Members of Congress, we are here to listen, to learn, and to 
help in this effort.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing, and 
thank you to Chairwoman Barragan and Ranking Member Higgins for 
leading this important hearing with us today. I am sincerely 
looking forward to hearing the witnesses' testimony and 
ensuring the Government is leveraging the full range of NGO's 
and their capabilities to make Operation Allies Welcome a 
success.
    [The statement of Ranking Member Meijer follows:]
                Statement of Ranking Member Peter Meijer
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this important joint 
subcommittee hearing today, and thank you to our witnesses for joining 
us in today's discussion.
    We are gathered here today after months of extreme turbulence for 
America and its allies following the U.S. military's drawdown and then 
full withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021.
    I served in the Iraq War and then later worked as a conflict 
analyst with the humanitarian aid community, living in Afghanistan from 
late 2013 to early 2015. Like so many other veterans, I was both 
enraged and heartbroken by the images we saw coming out of Afghanistan 
in August following the collapse of the Afghan government and the 
Taliban's swift takeover of the country. I was one of the many 
Americans receiving desperate calls, texts, and emails from friends and 
former colleagues at all hours of the day pleading for help. This is 
personal for me, and I appreciate how personal it is for the other 
Members and witnesses with us here today. I am truly grateful for 
everyone's participation.
    Despite repeated calls and warnings from a bipartisan group of 
lawmakers dating back to April, the administration failed to adequately 
plan for this withdrawal and was not prepared to protect our Afghan 
allies who put their lives, and the lives of their families, on the 
line to help the United States. In the final weeks of August, the U.S. 
military, State Department personnel, and others on the ground 
completed incredible work under impossible circumstances and saved 
countless lives, with over 120,000 individuals being airlifted to 
safety out of the Kabul airport. This group included Americans, U.S. 
lawful permanent residents, Special Immigrant Visa holders, 
interpreters, and other vulnerable Afghans fearful of a what a Taliban-
controlled Afghanistan would mean.
    Tragically, given the unimaginable conditions on the ground and the 
fact that the administration had ceded control to the Taliban, this 
effort cost the lives of 13 brave U.S. service members and scores of 
Afghans who were frantically trying to reach safety. Policy decisions 
made here in the District of Columbia put our people in this dangerous 
position. Every American should take pride in the heroism that 
Americans on the ground displayed in our final days in Afghanistan, and 
every American should demand accountability from the officials whose 
decisions put them in a position that required those heroic acts. My 
thoughts and prayers remain with those who lost loved ones and for 
those who were left behind in the chaos of the withdrawal, and I hope 
today we can discuss ideas to make sure every at-risk individual in 
Afghanistan is accounted for.
    With the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan now concluded, the 
administration has largely shifted from evacuating Afghan allies to 
resettling them. The United States has an on-going moral obligation to 
evacuate our Afghan allies who risked their lives to support the the 
United States that still remain in Afghanistan, and at the same time, 
ensure the resettlement of individuals already evacuated is completed 
in a safe, secure, and humane manner.
    Operation Allies Welcome is the whole-of-Government effort being 
led by DHS in coordination with DOD, State, HHS, and other Federal 
partners to provide resources, immigration processing, medical 
services, transportation, temporary housing, and a variety of other 
essential services to the evacuated Afghan population arriving in the 
United States.
    I know from first-hand experience what an incredible and complex 
undertaking this is. Prior to serving in Congress, I worked with Team 
Rubicon, a veteran-based non-Governmental organization that focuses on 
disaster response efforts both in the United States and abroad, and I 
am thrilled to see them represented among our witnesses today.
    While working with Team Rubicon, I witnessed first-hand communities 
around the world that struggled with a variety of crises, and our work 
focused on helping these communities build back following a natural 
disaster. We provided vital support and exceptional subject-matter 
expertise in disaster situations. We often worked hand-in-glove with 
governments around the world as well as other NGO's and private-sector 
organizations to ensure optimal results.
    Now Team Rubicon and many other NGO's are teaming up with the U.S. 
Government to facilitate the successful resettlement of Afghan evacuees 
through Operation Allies Welcome. Their work encompasses a wide range 
of activities, from providing food and transportation, to coordinating 
with the local communities where evacuees will be resettled to help 
them find housing and employment opportunities.
    The work that NGO's are currently conducting on behalf of Afghan 
nationals in the United States and around the world is key not only to 
Operation Allies Welcome, but to the successful integration of the 
evacuees into their new communities. These organizations are filling 
gaps in the capabilities of our own Government during this tremendous 
undertaking, and we truly have much to learn from their work and 
experiences. I am excited to hear how these groups are working with the 
Federal Government during this historic resettlement effort. We want to 
better understand the challenges, how operations are going today, what 
we need to anticipate going forward, and how we can help.
    The evacuees arriving in the United States have already been 
through so much. We owe it to them to ensure the resettlement is better 
planned and better executed than the evacuation. I was proud to join a 
bipartisan group of my colleagues in introducing the WELCOMED Act in 
September to provide evacuees admitted to the United States under 
humanitarian parole with the standard refugee benefits they need, and I 
was pleased to see this language signed into law as part of the 
Government funding measure that Congress passed at the end of 
September. But there is more we need to know, and more we need to do--
and that is the purpose of this hearing today. We know this will be a 
long-term, large-scale operation, and we as Members of Congress are 
here to listen, learn, and help in this effort.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing, and thank 
you Chairwoman Barragan and Ranking Member Higgins for leading this 
important hearing with us today. I am sincerely looking forward to 
hearing the witnesses' testimony and ensuring that the Government is 
leveraging the full range of NGO's and their capabilities to make 
Operation Allies Welcome a success.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Ranking Member, and I know this is a 
personal issue for you, and I am glad you are part of this 
oversight, because it is so important to you. Of course, thank 
you as well for your service to our country.
    The Chair now recognizes the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee 
on Border Security and Operations, the gentlewoman from 
California, Ms. Barragan, for an opening statement.
    Ms. Barragan.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you. Good afternoon. I would also like 
to begin by thanking everyone for joining us today. I would 
like to thank Chairman Correa and Ranking Member Meijer for 
working with Ranking Member Higgins and me to have this 
important and timely hearing.
    During this hearing, we will hear from diverse voices on 
the ground while working alongside the Department of Homeland 
Security to welcome and resettle our Afghan partners through 
Operation Allies Welcome. As we have heard, DHS is tasked with 
leading the coordination of resettling thousands of Afghans who 
worked alongside our military and diplomats, as well as 
particularly vulnerable Afghans such as journalists, human 
rights workers, and women activists.
    However, this resettlement mission requires a whole-of-
community approach. Multiple Federal agencies, resettlement 
organizations, and nongovernmental organizations are working 
with communities and companies like Airbnb day and night to 
welcome new arrivals into American communities. Resettlement 
agencies, like the International Rescue Commission, quickly 
operationalized to provide services and humanitarian assistance 
to Afghans being brought into the United States, particularly 
to those housed on military bases. Civil society groups, like 
Women for Afghan Women, are working to ensure the services 
administered to new arrivals meet the needs of this population 
while being culturally appropriate.
    Afghan-American-led organizations, like Women for Afghan 
Women, are particularly critical during this time. Many of 
their volunteers encompass steep knowledge of Afghan customs 
and languages needed to serve this population. NGO's, like 
Human Rights First, have been leading voices and strong 
advocates in efforts to evacuate, welcome, and properly support 
the resettlement of vulnerable Afghans here in the United 
States. Veterans and veteran service organizations, including 
organizations composed mostly of veterans, like Team Rubicon, 
have been stepping forward and galvanizing communities to help 
our Afghan allies resettle and rebuild here in the United 
States.
    Each witness represented here holds a unique perspective 
and is vital to our discussion. Operation Allies Welcome is 
well under way with evacuees being resettled across the United 
States. Communities Nation-wide, like the ones that I represent 
in California, are preparing to embrace these families. 
Supporting those who risk their lives to help our troops over 
the last two decades, along with those fleeing persecution in 
dangerous conditions, is the right thing to do.
    That is why I am proud that Congress passed a continuing 
resolution which allows evacuees to receive refugee benefits, 
like temporary housing, employment training, and medical care. 
These benefits are critical to meet immediate and long-term 
needs. The continuing resolution also includes additional 
funding for Federal agencies working to resettle our Afghan 
partners. For example, U.S. citizenship and Immigration 
Services received additional funding to process Special 
Immigrant Visas and humanitarian parole applications. Other 
agencies received funding to augment medical support and 
humanitarian assistance.
    As Operation Allies Welcome progresses, Congress must work, 
continue to work with both Federal and non-Federal partners to 
meet the needs of evacuees and advance this resettlement 
mission. I am eager to hear from the witnesses on the needs of 
the Afghan evacuees and how the Department can improve services 
and coordination efforts under Operation Allies Welcome.
    Thank you, and I yield back.
    [The statement of Chairwoman Barragan follows:]
                Statement of Chairwoman Nanette Barragan
                            October 21, 2021
    During this hearing, we will hear from diverse voices on the 
ground, who are working alongside the Department of Homeland Security 
to welcome and resettle our Afghan partners through Operation Allies 
Welcome. As we've heard, DHS is tasked with leading the coordination of 
resettling thousands of Afghans who worked alongside our military and 
diplomats, as well as particularly vulnerable Afghans such as 
journalists, human rights workers, and women activists. However, this 
resettlement mission requires a whole-of-community approach.
    Multiple Federal agencies, resettlement organizations, and non-
Governmental organizations (NGO's) are working day and night to welcome 
new arrivals into American communities. Resettlement agencies, like the 
International Rescue Commission, quickly operationalized to provide 
services and humanitarian assistance to Afghans being brought into the 
United States--particularly to those housed on military bases. Civil 
society groups, like Women for Afghan Women, are working to ensure the 
services administered to new arrivals meet the needs of this population 
while being culturally appropriate.
    Afghan American-led organizations, like Women for Afghan Women, are 
particularly critical during this time. Many of their volunteers 
encompass deep knowledge of Afghan customs and languages needed to 
serve this population. NGO's, like Human Rights First, have been 
leading voices and strong advocates in efforts to evacuate, welcome, 
and properly support the resettlement of vulnerable Afghans here in the 
United States. Veterans and veteran service organizations, including 
organizations composed mostly of veterans like Team Rubicon, have been 
stepping forward and galvanizing communities to help our Afghan allies 
resettle and rebuild here in the United States.
    Each witness represented here holds a unique perspective and is 
vital to our discussion. Operation Allies Welcome is well under way, 
with evacuees being resettled across the United States. Communities 
Nation-wide, like the ones that I represent in California, are 
preparing to embrace these families. Supporting those who risked their 
lives to help our troops over the last two decades, along with those 
fleeing persecution and dangerous conditions, is the right thing to do.
    That is why I am proud that Congress passed a Continuing 
Resolution, which allows evacuees to receive refugee benefits like 
temporary housing, employment training, and medical care. These 
benefits are critical to meet immediate and long-term needs. The 
Continuing Resolution also includes additional funding for Federal 
agencies working to resettle our Afghan partners. For example, U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received additional 
funding to process Special Immigrant Visa and humanitarian parole 
applications. Other agencies received funding to augment medical 
support and humanitarian assistance.
    As Operational Allies Welcome progresses, Congress must continue 
working with both Federal and non-Federal partners to meet the needs of 
the evacuees and advance this resettlement mission. I am eager to hear 
from the witnesses on the needs of the Afghan evacuees and how the 
Department can improve services and coordination efforts under 
Operation Allies Welcome.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Chairwoman Barragan.
    Now the Chair recognizes the Ranking Member of the 
Subcommittee on Border Security, the gentleman from Louisiana, 
Mr. Higgins, for an opening statement.
    Welcome, sir.
    Mr. Higgins. I thank my friend, the Chairman, and the 
Chairwoman for holding this very important joint hearing today. 
I would also like to thank our witnesses for being here to join 
today's discussions.
    It has been 2 months since the United States' chaotic 
withdrawal from Afghanistan. On August 29, President Biden 
directed the Department of Homeland Security, who we have yet 
to hear from in a hearing format, to lead the implementation of 
the on-going efforts across the Federal Government to support 
and resettle Afghans who were evacuated. The disastrous 
withdrawal led to thousands of vulnerable Afghans coming to the 
United States under various authorities, such as the SIV, the 
Special Immigrant Visas, and humanitarian parole programs.
    Some of these individuals are being paroled into the 
interior of the United States, or they are even prematurely 
leaving military bases before undergoing proper and necessary 
vetting.
    The Committee on Homeland Security Republicans have 
received very little information from the Biden administration 
on how these efforts are progressing. It is shameful, in my 
opinion, that only now has the Majority decided to hold a 
hearing on Afghanistan, and I am requesting, respectfully, that 
the committee hold a full committee hearing with relevant 
Government witnesses on the entire resettlement process, 
including the screening and vetting of Afghans into the United 
States.
    As part of our Congressional oversight authority, the 
committee must address the fallout, including any National 
security threats, due to the manner in which the United States 
withdrew from Afghanistan. Additionally, the committee must 
also address the screening and vetting process for all Afghans 
leaving Kabul during the chaotic last days.
    The committee Republicans have yet to receive answers to 
many questions we put to the Department of Homeland Security 
despite numerous letters and attempts, dozens and dozens.
    I want to be clear that we are very appreciative of the 
hard work of the nonprofits and to all the organizations here 
today that have stepped forward in this hour of need to help 
all vulnerable Afghans who worked alongside American military 
forces and our Government at great risk to themselves and their 
families. We recognize the importance of your work in Operation 
Allies Welcome, helping with the resettlement efforts, 
coordinating donations, and logistics support, just to name a 
few of your contributions. We are very grateful.
    I look forward to the witnesses' testimony. I thank them 
for appearing before us today. But before I yield back the 
balance of my time, I again request a full committee hearing on 
Afghanistan. Mr. Chairman, respectfully to your leadership, 
sir, I yield back.
    [The statement of Ranking Member Higgins follows:]
                Statement of Ranking Member Clay Higgins
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Chairwoman Barragan, and Ranking Member 
Meijer for holding this very important joint hearing today. I would 
also like to thank all our witnesses for being here to join today's 
discussions.
    It's been almost 2 months since the United States' chaotic 
withdrawal from Afghanistan. On August 29, President Biden directed the 
Department of Homeland Security, who we have yet to hear from in a 
hearing format, to lead the implementation of the on-going efforts 
across the Federal Government to support and resettle vulnerable 
Afghans who were evacuated.
    This disastrous withdrawal led to thousands of vulnerable Afghans 
coming to the United States under various authorities such as the 
Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) and humanitarian parole. Some of these 
individuals are being paroled into the interior of the United States, 
or prematurely leaving military bases, before undergoing proper and 
necessary vetting.
    Committee on Homeland Security Republicans have received very 
little information from the Biden administration on how these efforts 
are progressing. I am requesting that the committee hold a full 
committee hearing, with relevant Government witnesses, on the entire 
resettlement process, including the screening and vetting, of Afghans 
in the United States.
    As part of our Congressional oversight authority, the committee 
must address the fallout, including any National security threats, due 
to the manner in which the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. 
Additionally, the committee must also address the screening and vetting 
process of all Afghans leaving Kabul during those chaotic last days. 
Committee Republicans have yet to receive answers to many questions we 
have put to the Department of Homeland Security, despite numerous 
letters and attempts.
    I want to be clear that we are very appreciative of the hard work 
of the nonprofits, and to all the organizations here today, that have 
stepped forward in this hour of need to help all vulnerable Afghans who 
worked alongside Americans at great risk to themselves and their 
families. We recognize the importance of your work in Operation Allies 
Welcome, helping with the resettlement efforts, coordinating donations 
and logistics support, just to name a few of your contributions.
    I look forward to the witnesses' testimony and I thank them for 
appearing before us today. But before I yield back the balance of my 
time, I again request a full committee hearing on Afghanistan. With 
that, I yield back.

    Mr. Correa. I thank the Ranking Member, Mr. Higgins, for 
his comments.
    Members are now reminded that the committee will operate 
according to the guidelines laid out by the Chairman and 
Ranking Member in their February 3 colloquy regarding remote 
procedures. Without objection, Members not on the subcommittee 
will be permitted to sit and question the witnesses. Members 
may also submit statements for the record.
    [The statement of Chairman Thompson follows:]
                Statement of Chairman Bennie G. Thompson
                            October 21, 2021
    Just weeks after 9/11, U.S. military operations began in 
Afghanistan--operations that would last 20 years, until this past 
August. The recent withdrawal of American forces resulted in the need 
to quickly evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan allies. Our military 
undertook an unprecedented airlift mission, facilitating the evacuation 
of more than 124,000 people in 17 days.
    The President's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has been 
fiercely debated, and there are many questions still to be answered 
about how the evacuation was carried out. But the task before us now is 
resettling the tens of thousands of vulnerable individuals and families 
who were evacuated from their country. Many of them risked their lives, 
and the lives of their families, to assist the U.S. Government and our 
military over the past two decades. They served bravely in key roles, 
such as translators, interpreters, and drivers, which made them 
integral partners in the fight against terrorism. It is critical we 
honor these Afghans' contributions by welcoming them into communities 
across the United States and providing them with the support they need 
to start their new lives.
    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is uniquely qualified to 
carry out this work given its experience bringing different agencies 
together to execute a common mission. DHS often convenes partners--
including State and local governments, non-governmental organizations, 
the private sector, and public--to respond to a crisis. That is why the 
Biden administration tapped DHS to lead the Federal Government's 
resettlement efforts, known as Operation Allies Welcome.
    As the lead Federal agency, DHS helps ensure unity of effort, clear 
roles and responsibilities, and effective coordination across the 
Government. To date, Operation Allies Welcome has provided Afghans with 
initial support such as medical care, language access resources, and 
immigration assistance while they await transfer from military bases to 
their new communities. But DHS and the Federal Government are not 
acting alone.
    The private sector and a vast network of non-profit organizations 
are vital partners for ensuring Afghans have the support they need, 
especially as they resettle in U.S. communities across the Nation. 
Several of these non-profit partners are represented here today. I want 
to thank the witnesses for joining us and express my gratitude for the 
important work that you and your organizations are doing. I look 
forward to hearing how Congress and the administration can support your 
efforts to safely and compassionately resettle our Afghan allies.

    Mr. Correa. Now I would like to welcome our witnesses.
    Our first witness is Mr. Michael Breen. Mr. Breen is 
president and CEO of Human Rights, one of the Nation's leading 
human rights advocacy organizations. He is also an Army 
veteran--thank you for your service to our country, sir--who 
served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    After leaving the military, Mr. Breen served in the Office 
of the White House Counsel and co-founded the International 
Refugee Assistance Project, working with refugee families from 
Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
    Our second witness, Ms. Robin Dunn Marcos, served as senior 
director of Resettlement Asylum Integration Programs for the 
International Rescue Committee, or IRC. She oversees a staff of 
over 400 that are providing Afghan evacuees with required 
processing for onward travel to their final destinations, and 
the IRC is running the assurance program which matches Afghan 
evacuees with resettlement agencies.
    Our third witness, Ms. Naheed Samadi Bahram, serves as the 
U.S. country director for Women for Afghan Women, a grassroots 
civil society organization dedicated to protecting and 
promoting the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls. 
Over the past 20 years, Women for Afghan Women has provided 
life-changing services, education, and training for its clients 
across Afghanistan and the United States. A native of 
Afghanistan, Ms. Bahram and her family migrated to Pakistan 
after her mother was killed in an explosion. She moved to the 
United States in 2006.
    Our final witness will be introduced by our Ranking Member, 
Mr. Meijer.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Our final witness is Art delaCruz, who is the chief 
executive officer for Team Rubicon, as I mentioned earlier, a 
veteran-based disaster response organization to leverage those 
veteran skill sets as first responders to help disaster victims 
at home and abroad suffering from both environmental and man-
made disasters. The organization also promotes service and 
camaraderie to help veterans gain community, a sense of purpose 
and identity to promote transition to civilian life.
    Mr. delaCruz served honorably for over 22 years in the 
United States Navy, and enjoyed a career that included a broad 
range of assignments. He commanded a Navy strike fighter 
squadron, spent a year with McKinsey & Company as a Secretary 
of Defense Corporate Fellow, serving as a Top Gun instructor as 
well, and made 6 combat deployments. After retiring, he spent 
2\1/2\ years in the aerospace and defense sectors in the roles 
of business development, strategy, and planning.
    We are excited to have him here today and are grateful for 
his participation in this hearing.
    With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you.
    Mr. delaCruz, thank you for your service to our country as 
well.
    Without objection, the witnesses' full statements will be 
inserted into the record. Now I ask each witness to summarize 
his or her statement for 5 statements, beginning with Mr. 
Breen.
    Welcome.

   STATEMENT OF MICHAEL BREEN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE 
                  OFFICER, HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST

    Mr. Breen. Thank you. Chairwoman Barragan, Ranking Member 
Higgins, Chairman Correa, Ranking Member Meijer, and 
distinguished Members of the subcommittees, thank you for this 
opportunity to testify on Operation Allies Welcome and 
resettlement of vulnerable Afghans in our communities.
    Human Rights First is an independent, nonprofit 
organization that for more than four decades, has pressed the 
United States to take a leading role in promoting and defending 
human rights. Today, we are at the forefront of the effort to 
bring to safety Afghans who are in danger following the U.S. 
withdrawal from Afghanistan.
    After President Biden announced that he would order the 
complete withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan by 
September of this year, Human Rights First and our partners 
established the Evacuate our Allies Coalition, comprised of 
trusted human rights and refugee organizations to work 
alongside veterans and front-line civilians to advocate in the 
evacuation of at-risk Afghan allies to safety. We immediately 
recognized the need to protect the allies who fought alongside 
the U.S. military in Afghanistan and other Afghans at risk of 
persecution by the Taliban.
    Through the spring and summer of 2021, we advocated for a 
plan to evacuate United States territory all persons who 
qualified on the Special Immigrant Visa program, estimated at 
around 80,000 individuals, similar to past evacuations of 
Vietnamese, Iraqis, and Kosovars following conflicts in their 
countries.
    We were encouraged in late July to see late-stage 
applicants under the Special Immigrant Visa program brought to 
Fort Lee in Virginia and hoped that the pace of arrivals would 
continue increasing the remainder of the year.
    But with the withdrawal of U.S. military forces and the 
Afghan government's fall to the Taliban, those hopes were 
dashed. We, nonetheless, continued to advocate for evacuation, 
welcoming support for the resettlement of vulnerable Afghans.
    With the arrival of tens of thousands of Afghans to the 
United States and many more still abroad, we quickly 
established Project Afghan Legal Assistance, or PALA to support 
their access to legal counsel. Through PALA and our leadership 
of the EOA coalition, Human Rights First is spearheading and 
collaboration between U.S. legal organizations, law firms, 
resettlement agencies, and other stakeholders to provide legal 
representation to Afghan refugees. Through PALA, we recruited 
hundreds of volunteer attorneys and interpreters to assist 
Afghans with their immigration needs. We also work with 
coalition and Federal agencies to identify legal challenges to 
their protection and identify referral networks.
    Our aim is to help secure legal representation for all 
Afghan refugees arriving in the United States, and we will 
continue to mobilize the pro bono community to meet that 
challenge. Thousands of Afghans remain stranded in Afghanistan 
or third countries, and they need a clear and viable pathway 
for reaching safety in the United States. Many filed 
humanitarian parole applications with the United States 
Citizenship and Immigration Service. Yet, we have heard that a 
handful of those have been adjudicated. Families have paid 
sizable filing fees only to have their applications sit at 
USCIS with no information on when or if they will be reunited 
with their loved ones.
    How we welcome the Afghans is as important as the legal 
frameworks that make up our immigration laws. Congress can do 
its part to honor the sacrifices many of these Afghans made by 
our side by following these recommendations.
    First, urge the Biden administration to release a plan to 
evacuate allies and at-risk Afghans seeking to leave 
Afghanistan and bring those located in host countries swiftly 
to safety in the United States.
    Second, create categorical parole programs for Afghan 
nationals that prioritizes and expedites the thousands of 
humanitarian parole requests filed by vulnerable Afghans 
abroad, and waive all application fees associated with 
applications filed by at-risk Afghans.
    Third, enhance access to legal counsel to Afghans being 
brought to safety by ensuring, including through oversight of 
DHS, that Afghans at the 8 safe havens across the United States 
have full access to legal orientations, the ability to consult 
and meet with legal counsel to better prepare themselves for 
what is required of them in the U.S. immigration system, and 
unlimited access to attorneys for case preparation.
    Finally, pass the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, which 
would allow Afghan parolees to have an opportunity to seek 
permanent residence. They deserve an opportunity to rebuild 
their lives and contribute to our communities without the fear 
and limitations associated with uncertain immigration status.
    As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I can tell you that 
veterans and others who served understand the moral obligation, 
not only to evacuate our allies to the United States, but also 
to welcome into our country and our communities.
    This is a matter of honor, but it is much more. It is an 
insight into the soul of this country. Many Americans owe their 
lives to our Afghan allies. We have a duty to honor their 
service and our commitments by creating pathways to their 
resettlement in the United States.
    As a leader of a human rights organization, and together 
with many thousands of my fellow veterans, I ask you to join in 
our commitment to seeing our allies evacuated to safety, 
welcoming Afghans as our neighbors and our friends, and helping 
integrate into our communities the thousands of Afghans who 
have already been evacuated to the United States.
    Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Breen follows:]
                  Prepared Statement of Michael Breen
                            October 21, 2021
    Chairwoman Barragan, Ranking Member Higgins, Chairman Correa, 
Ranking Member Meijer, and distinguished Members of the subcommittees: 
Thank you for this opportunity to testify on Operation Allies Welcome 
and resettling vulnerable Afghans to our communities.
    Human Rights First is an independent, non-profit advocacy 
organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. For more 
than four decades Human Rights First has pressed the United States to 
take a leading role in promoting and defending human rights. Founded in 
1978, Human Rights First was instrumental in working with Congress to 
pass the landmark 1980 Refugee Act, which established the framework for 
the United States asylum and refugee resettlement programs. Working 
with veterans, former U.S. officials and other partners, Human Rights 
First advocated for enactment of the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 
to provide visas and resettlement for Iraqi refugees and Iraqis at risk 
due to their U.S. ties and for issuance of Special Immigrant Visas for 
Afghans in danger due to their work with the United States. Now, we add 
to this legacy by working to resettle into our communities the more 
than 70,000 Afghans that have arrived in the United States in the past 
2 months and help bring to safety thousands more at-risk Afghans still 
in Afghanistan or in third countries.
    After President Biden announced he would order the complete 
withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan by September of this 
year, Human Rights First and our partners established the Evacuate Our 
Allies (EOA) coalition, comprised of trusted human rights, religious, 
and refugee organizations who work alongside veterans and front-line 
civilians to advocate for the evacuation of at-risk Afghan allies to 
safety. We saw a clear need for the administration to create a plan to 
save the allies who fought alongside us through the past 2 decades of 
war. In the spring and summer of 2021, the Coalition called for the 
immediate evacuation to United States territory of all persons who 
qualified for the Special Immigrant Visa program, estimated at around 
80,000 individuals.
    In the intervening months, we engaged with the administration on 
ways to facilitate this evacuation. Our plan pointed to historical 
examples of evacuation efforts for Vietnamese, Iraqi, and Kosovar 
populations following conflicts in their countries as precedent for 
what could be done for at-risk Afghans. We were encouraged when the 
Biden administration announced Operation Allies Refugee. The arrival of 
late-stage applicants of the Special Immigrant Visa program brought to 
Ft. Lee in Virginia at the end of July brought hope that the pace of 
arrivals would continue, and the number of Afghans evacuated increase, 
through the remainder of the year.
    When the Afghan government rapidly fell to the Taliban in mid-
August, our coalition's mission took on a new sense of urgency to 
ensure the rapid evacuation and rescue of Afghans who are at risk of 
Taliban persecution, and their prompt resettlement in the United 
States. The Evacuate Our Allies Coalition redoubled efforts to support 
those who were left behind, and it continues efforts to ensure those 
brought to safety are welcomed into our communities.
    While August 31 saw the withdrawal of the U.S. military from 
Afghanistan, the coalition continues to advocate for the evacuation, 
welcome, and support for the resettlement of vulnerable Afghans.
                           veteran engagement
    As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I can tell you that 
veterans understand the moral obligation to not only evacuate our 
allies to the United States, but also to welcome them into our country 
and our communities.
    Since the end of the war was announced in April of this year, 
veterans have worked tirelessly on both objectives, working alongside 
us over long hours to support evacuation efforts and assisting those 
Afghans who made it to our soil. Many of these Afghans saved the lives 
of American soldiers, and veterans recognize their duty to protect 
those who fought alongside them by creating pathways to resettlement 
and integration into American communities.
                 evacuation and the immigration process
    To date, more than 70,000 Afghans have been evacuated to the United 
States, with thousands more expected to arrive in the coming weeks and 
months. Most Afghan arrivals are sent to 1 of 8 U.S. military bases 
across the country to begin their immigration process, obtain work 
authorization, and receive required medical examinations and 
vaccinations.
    The overwhelming majority of Afghans are admitted to the United 
States on parole. When that parole expires, they will have to apply for 
lasting immigration status in the United States, or risk return to 
Afghanistan. Thousands remain in Afghanistan or are stranded in third 
countries, seeking access to the safety and protection of United 
States.
    Afghan evacuees are currently required to navigate our country's 
complex immigration system to find the appropriate immigration relief 
without guarantee of legal counsel. Approximately 40 percent of these 
arrivals are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas, while others come 
from mixed-family immigration backgrounds and may qualify for 
adjustment of status through U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident 
family members.
    Thousands of vulnerable evacuated Afghans admitted on parole--
including human rights defenders, women and children, LGBTQ 
individuals, and others--may have no option but to seek asylum through 
the same legally complex, paper-intensive, and backlogged system that 
has prevented thousands of others from securing safety in the United 
States.
    These circumstances present a number of legal challenges that Human 
Rights First endeavors to address.
                project: afghan legal assistance (pala)
    With the arrival of tens of thousands of Afghans to the United 
States and many more still abroad, we quickly established Project: 
Afghan Legal Assistance (PALA) to support their access to legal 
counsel. Through PALA and our leadership of the EOA coalition, Human 
Rights First is spearheading a collaboration between U.S. legal 
organizations, law firms, resettlement agencies, and other stakeholders 
to provide legal representation to Afghan refugees.
    Though PALA, we organize coalition and liaison meetings with the 
several Federal agencies that support Afghans through Operation Allies 
Welcome to identify representation needs, rapidly communicate legal 
challenges, and identify referral networks for Afghans in need of legal 
assistance. We have recruited hundreds of pro bono attorneys and 
interpreters to provide volunteer assistance to Afghan refugees and 
have created legal resources to help volunteer lawyers to represent 
Afghans in immigration matters. We will continue to mobilize the pro 
bono community to help us meet our goal of securing legal 
representation for all Afghans arriving in the United States who seek 
protection.
              action from congress and the administration
    With the processing of Special Immigrant Visas and refugee 
admissions slowed to a near stop in recent times, many vulnerable 
Afghans have spent years languishing in danger despite clear 
eligibility for resettlement to the United States.
    As a result, many of the Afghans evacuees being admitted on 
temporary status under normal circumstances would have qualified for 
Special Immigrant Visas or refugee admission and would have entered the 
country with permanent status. Instead, they are faced with uncertainty 
and forced to navigate the complicated immigration system to obtain 
stability in the United States. To that end, Human Rights First and our 
partners are working with veteran's organizations, faith leaders, and 
the Afghan American community to ask Congressional leaders to pass an 
Afghan Adjustment Act to ensure that our Afghan allies and other 
vulnerable Afghans receive lasting immigration status without the need 
to pursue more legally complex and overburdened avenues, such as 
asylum.
    Other vulnerable Afghans who were not fortunate enough to be 
evacuated during the summer remain stranded at risk of persecution by 
the Taliban in Afghanistan or in third countries and are desperately 
searching for options to bring themselves and their families to safety. 
The administration must also identify pathways for such at-risk 
individuals to be brought to the United States through humanitarian 
parole or other non-immigrant or immigrant visas.
    Since August 31, thousands of humanitarian parole applications have 
been filed with United States Citizenship and Immigration Service 
(USCIS), yet we have heard of less than a handful that have been 
adjudicated. Families have paid sizable filing fees only to have their 
applications sit at USCIS with no information on when or if they will 
be reunited with their loved ones. The Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) should waive all filing fees for humanitarian parole and other 
visas filed by at-risk Afghans, as our Coalition has recommended. The 
mission for DHS and the Biden administration is to identify immediate 
and viable solutions for Afghans who remain in danger in Afghanistan, 
as well as those who are in precarious situations in third countries.
    The need for a categorical parole program is clear. The thousands 
of humanitarian parole requests filed by vulnerable Afghans residing 
abroad must be prioritized and expedited so that these Afghan nationals 
are brought to the safety of the United States quickly.
                               conclusion
    The United States has been a historic global leader in shielding 
refugees fleeing persecution. The Nation led efforts to draft the 
Refugee Convention in the wake of World War II and, with bipartisan 
support, enshrined its commitments into law when it enacted the Refugee 
Act. For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations recognized 
the moral and strategic importance of a strong commitment to providing 
refuge to the persecuted. President Biden has made clear his commitment 
to protecting refugees by setting the goal of welcoming 125,000 
refugees in the coming year. Now the United States must complete the 
mission of Operation Allies Welcome in a manner that honors our long 
tradition of bringing at-risk people to safety.
    On September 30, 2021, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution that 
includes welcome provisions to aid Afghans overseas and provides 
authorization and funds for the welcome and integration of Afghans 
arriving in the United States through humanitarian parole. However, 
more must be done to address the needs of arriving Afghans; an Afghan 
Adjustment Act is a good start.
    Until this pathway is secured, however, USCIS must work to quickly 
process their asylum applications and ensure that they are not subject 
to lengthy delays, a difficult task given the backlogs in the asylum 
system that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
    DHS must also work diligently to expedite applications for 
humanitarian parole for at-risk Afghans abroad, waive the fees 
associated with such applications and ensure that no effort is spared 
to bring Afghans swiftly to safety in the United States.
    Finally, reports of Afghan refugees being blocked, turned away, and 
mistreated when they attempt to cross international borders to seek 
refuge is yet another reminder that the Biden administration must 
encourage other nations to uphold international law so that Afghans can 
escape to safety and seek refuge. The administration can set a strong 
example by upholding U.S. asylum laws and refugee treaties and 
restoring access to asylum at our own borders in accordance with those 
laws.
                            recommendations
    Human Rights First's recommendations for Congress include:
   Pass an Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow Afghan 
        parolees who are being evacuated from Afghanistan, even those 
        who were advised to destroy their documents, to have an 
        opportunity to seek legal permanent residence. These parolees 
        are fleeing violence and persecution; they deserve an 
        opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety--and without the 
        fear and limitations associated with uncertain immigration 
        status.
   Urge the Biden administration release a plan to evacuate 
        allies and at-risk Afghans seeking to leave Afghanistan and 
        bring those located in host countries swiftly to safety in the 
        United States. Create a categorical parole program for Afghan 
        nationals that prioritizes and expedites the thousands of 
        humanitarian parole requests filed by vulnerable Afghans abroad 
        and waive all application fees associated with applications 
        filed by at-risk Afghans.
   Enhance access to legal counsel for Afghans being brought to 
        safety.--Ensure, including through oversight of DHS, that 
        Afghans at the 8 Safe Havens across the United States have full 
        access to legal orientations, the ability to consult and meet 
        with legal counsel to better prepare themselves for what is 
        required of them in the U.S. immigration system, and unlimited 
        access to attorneys for case preparation. In addition, support 
        funding should be offered for legal orientations and counsel to 
        Afghans who must navigate our complex immigration systems.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you for your testimony.
    I now recognize Ms. Marcos to summarize her statements for 
5 minutes.

      STATEMENT OF ROBIN DUNN MARCOS, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR 
  RESETTLEMENT, ASYLUM AND INTEGRATION, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE 
                           COMMITTEE

    Ms. Marcos. Chairwoman Barragan and Ranking Member Higgins, 
Chairman Correa and Ranking Member Meijer, and Members of the 
subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on 
Operation Allies Welcome, and the resettlement of Afghans in 
the United States. My name is Robin Dunn Marcos, and I am the 
senior director for resettlement and asylum and integration 
programming at the International Rescue Committee. The IRC 
helps people whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by 
conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control 
of their future.
    Since late July 2021, the IRC, at the invitation of the 
U.S. Government, has been working to welcome, process, and 
eventually resettle tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans. I 
have led a team to quickly stand up services on the 8 safe 
havens established at U.S. Government facilities across the 
country, and I have personally served at 5 of those locations. 
I am overseeing a staff of over 400 employees to register and 
process Afghan guests for onward travel to their final 
destinations, to coordinate interpretation services and 
volunteer management, and to support Government partners to 
complete medical checks and other immigration processing steps, 
among other activities.
    Today, across the 8 Government facilities, we are 
supporting the reception and processing of over 60,000 Afghan 
guests, and the IRC alone is expected to sponsor over 10,000 
Afghans across our network of resettlement offices this year.
    As operations have turned from a short emergency response 
to a longer-term effort, the needs of guests have and will 
continue to change. The IRC has strived to incorporate its full 
breadth of humanitarian expertise in areas such as prevention 
and response to gender-based violence, child protection, and 
psychosocial support for refugees.
    As with any rapid humanitarian response, challenges have 
arisen. We have found the U.S. Government to be a willing 
partner in addressing these problems and working toward 
sustainable solutions. Some challenges, however, require the 
intervention of Congress.
    First, it is critical that Congress pass legislation to 
ensure Afghans are able to simply and quickly adjust to lawful 
permanent residence. Most Afghans arriving in the United States 
are entering under humanitarian parole which will only permit 
them to remain in the United States for up to 2 years and which 
does not offer a pathway to lawful permanent resident status.
    Second, we urge Congress to demand the Biden administration 
create a categorical humanitarian parole program for, at 
minimum, U.S.-affiliated Afghans who remain in Afghanistan, or 
who have fled to third countries.
    Third, we urge Congress to mandate reforms to the Afghan 
Priority 2 resettlement program to increase applicant access, 
expand eligibility, streamline processes, and improve 
communications across applicants, referring organizations, and 
U.S. Government program administrators.
    Finally, Congress should also ensure Afghan parolees have 
access to affordable and efficient legal services. Given the 
temporary nature of parole and the complexity of immigration 
law, Afghan parolees must receive legal screenings to 
understand their options and pursue permanent status and 
protection if eligible.
    There are also measures the Department of Homeland Security 
can take immediately to improve the on-going evacuation, 
processing, and resettlement of Afghans. DHS should work in 
close coordination with the IRC, other resettlement agencies, 
and the State Department, to facilitate smooth transitions from 
the Government facilities to final destinations in the true 
spirit of a public-private partnership. The urgency of moving 
guests off the Government facilities expeditiously has to be 
measured against the pace of departures and the capacity of 
receiving communities.
    For the IRC, involvement in this domestic emergency 
response is unprecedented. It is truly an historic operation in 
terms of size, scope, and complexity. Each of the guests has 
their own harrowing story of escape and are thankful to the 
United States for bringing them to safety.
    One of IRC's staff members from our Atlanta office, himself 
a previous SIV recipient, went back to Kabul to help his wife 
and children evacuate. He struggled to exit the country, but 
was finally evacuated to Germany. After a month delay, he and 
his family just arrived at one of the safe havens in Virginia, 
and he is anxiously waiting for them to complete processing so 
he can take them home. When asked how it felt to be back in the 
United States, he replied, The feelings cannot be expressed. 
You do not know how much love I have for this soil.
    In this unique and urgent moment, we beckon the U.S. 
Government, including the Department of Homeland Security, to 
engage with the IRC and its other partners in a fully open, 
transparent, and collaborative fashion. Thank you for your time 
and holding a hearing on this important topic. I look forward 
to answering your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Marcos follows:]
                Prepared Statement of Robin Dunn Marcos
                            October 21, 2021
    Chairwoman Barragan and Ranking Member Higgins of the Subcommittee 
on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations; Chairman Correa and 
Ranking Member Meijer of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and 
Accountability; and Members of the subcommittees, thank you for the 
opportunity to submit a statement for the record and testify today on 
Operation Allies Welcome and the resettlement of Afghans in the United 
States.
    My name is Robin Dunn Marcos and I am the senior director for 
resettlement, asylum, and integration programming at the International 
Rescue Committee (IRC). The IRC was founded in 1933 at the suggestion 
of Albert Einstein and is currently at work in 40 countries and in 31 
offices across 28 U.S. cities. The IRC helps people whose lives and 
livelihoods have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, 
recover, and regain control of their future. The Resettlement, Asylum, 
and Integration department creates opportunities for refugees and other 
vulnerable migrants to thrive in the United States and Europe, serving 
more than 50,000 individuals each year through a diverse portfolio of 
programs aimed at 5 core outcomes: Health, safety, economic well-being, 
education, and empowerment. In the United States, the IRC has partnered 
with the U.S. Government to resettle more than 412,000 refugees and 
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients comprising over 100 
nationalities. In my work, I oversee programming across these offices 
and provide technical support to the Resettlement Support Center Asia, 
which conducts overseas processing for in-bound refugees to the United 
States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
    Since late July 2021, the IRC, at the invitation of the U.S. 
Government, has been working to welcome, process, and eventually 
resettle tens of thousands of Afghans who are at risk of reprisal at 
the hands of the Taliban because of their affiliation with the United 
States or other reasons. In support of ``Operation Allies Welcome'', I 
have led a team to quickly stand-up services on the 8 ``Safe Havens'' 
established on U.S. Government facilities across the country. I am 
overseeing a staff of over 400 employees, including interpreters, many 
of whom are former SIV recipients, to register and process Afghan 
guests for on-ward travel to final destinations; coordinate 
interpretation services and volunteer management; and support 
Government partners to complete medical checks and other immigration 
processing steps, among other activities. The IRC is also managing the 
assurance process that matches Afghan guests with 1 of the 9 sponsoring 
Resettlement Agencies (RAs). The IRC alone is expected to sponsor over 
10,000 parolees through the Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA 
program) across its network of resettlement offices this year. By 
contrast, IRC resettled a total of 3,822 refugees and SIV recipients in 
fiscal year 2021 through the Reception & Placement program. Two-
thousand one hundred twenty-two arrivals were from Afghanistan.
    The IRC's involvement has grown in proportion to the scale of the 
operation. Initially, our activities were limited to 1 Virginia-based 
government facility and focused narrowly on the reception of Afghans 
who were in the final stages of Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) 
processing. As the evacuation effort grew, so too did our operations. 
Today, across the 8 Government facilities, we are supporting the 
reception and processing of over 60,000 Afghan guests. Guests arrived 
with a variety of immigration statuses, including Lawful Permanent 
Residency, humanitarian parole, and U.S citizenship. Guests are 
expected to stay at the Government facilities for weeks or months, 
depending on their visa status and processing steps, the ability of 
resettlement agencies to absorb this capacity, and public health 
measures to mitigate the risks of communicable diseases.
    As operations have turned from a short, emergency response to a 
longer-term effort, the needs of guests have and will continue to 
change. The IRC has strived to incorporate its full breadth of 
humanitarian expertise in areas such as prevention and response to 
gender-based violence, child protection and psychosocial support for 
refugees. IRC is also ensuring that minimum standards are in place for 
safeguarding and staff care for all IRC operations. Services are 
expanding across Government facilities by partner entities, including 
legal counseling, cultural orientation, English lessons, recreational 
activities, trauma-informed psychosocial support, family reunification 
services, and donations distribution.
    As with any rapid humanitarian response, challenges have arisen. We 
have found the U.S. Government to be a willing partner in addressing 
these problems and working toward sustainable solutions. Some 
challenges, however, require the intervention of Congress. We were 
grateful to see the inclusion of supplemental emergency funding for the 
Afghan evacuation and resettlement effort in the recent fiscal year 
2022 Continuing Resolution, as well as a critical provision to extend 
resettlement services to Afghans entering the country under 
humanitarian parole. Additional necessary steps remain.
    First, it is critical that Congress pass legislation to ensure 
Afghans are able to simply and quickly adjust to Lawful Permanent 
Resident status. Most Afghans arriving in the United States are 
entering under humanitarian parole, which will only permit them to 
remain in the United States for up to 2 years and which does not offer 
a pathway to Lawful Permanent Resident status. Humanitarian parole also 
does not protect Afghans from refoulement, putting them at risk of 
being forcibly returned to persecution, torture, or other serious human 
rights violations. Humanitarian parole was used to expedite the 
admission of these individuals given the emergency nature of the 
evacuation, despite these Afghans being eligible for a Special 
Immigrant Visa or resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions 
Program. Corrective action is needed to ensure our new neighbors are 
not penalized and forced to seek existing alternative protection 
pathways, such as asylum, that are limited and overwhelmed. This would 
likely result in tens of thousands of new asylum claims, and given the 
asylum system backlog, inevitable and lengthy legal limbo for many. 
Asylum applicants are subject to a 1-year wait time for employment 
authorization while their application is pending and their ability to 
apply for other benefits, like driver's licenses and health insurance, 
would be specific to their State residency.
    Second, we urge Congress to demand the Biden administration create 
a categorical humanitarian parole program for, at a minimum, U.S.-
affiliated Afghans who remain in Afghanistan or have fled to third 
countries. The administration is currently prioritizing American 
citizens, Green Card holders, immediate family members of American 
citizens and Green Card holders, U.S. embassy staff, and Chief of 
Mission-approved SIV applicants. A pathway to refuge is just as 
critical for persons eligible for the Priority 2 program, all Special 
Immigrant Visa applicants, and family reunification cases. The 
administration's commitment to these Afghans did not end on August 31. 
Tens of thousands are living in fear of reprisals specifically because 
of their affiliations with the U.S. Congress should create a 
humanitarian parole program to guide and expedite the review of these 
applicants and to grant travel documentation allowing those eligible to 
travel to the United States.
    Third, we urge Congress to mandate reforms to the Afghan P-2 
resettlement program to increase applicant access, expand eligibility, 
streamline processes, and improve communication across applicants, 
referring organizations, and U.S. Government program administrators. 
Eligibility should be expanded to include parents, siblings, and their 
immediate families (a measure particularly critical for female-headed 
households or where women are sole wage-earners); surviving eligible 
family members of a deceased principal applicant; and employees on sub-
grants and sub-contracts of U.S. Government-funded efforts. Referral 
processes should be streamlined and standardized across funding 
agencies. Physical documentation requirements should be adjusted to 
account for the realities of a humanitarian emergency: applicants 
should not be turned away from life-saving approvals due to 
administrative barriers. We also urge Congress to support referring 
organizations to expand staffing and internal processing capacity to 
support the thousands of current and former staff members now seeking 
protection. Further, we urge the Department of State's Bureau of 
Population, Refugees, and Migration to create an information platform 
for P-2 applicants to provide up-to-date guidance and establish a 
regular NGO consultation group to identify and resolve implementation 
challenges.
    Finally, Congress should also ensure Afghan parolees have access to 
affordable and efficient legal services. Given the temporary nature of 
parole and the complexity of immigration law, Afghan parolees must 
receive legal screenings to understand their options and pursue 
permanent status and protection as eligible. Without a legislative fix, 
many Afghans paroled into the United States will have no alternative 
than to apply for asylum, contributing to the already-overwhelmed U.S. 
asylum system. Without affordable, high-quality legal assistance, 
Afghan parolees will be set up for failure, having to navigate the U.S. 
asylum and immigration system, deadlines, and requirements on their own 
and often without sufficient evidentiary documentation or 
identification documents, which many were forced to destroy out of fear 
of Taliban reprisal precisely on account of their close association 
with the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Many will be at risk of missing 
time-limited opportunities to pursue permanent protection and become 
vulnerable to detention and deportation.
    There are also measures the Department of Homeland Security can 
take immediately to improve the on-going evacuation, processing, and 
resettlement of Afghans.
    DHS should work in close coordination with the Resettlement 
Agencies and PRM to facilitate smooth transitions from the Government 
facilities to final destinations. The urgency of moving guests off the 
Government facilities expeditiously has to be measured against the pace 
of departures and the capacity of receiving communities.
    DHS should expeditiously adjudicate humanitarian parole 
applications for Afghan nationals in a manner that does not 
disadvantage existing applicants, should grant fee waivers for 
humanitarian parole applications and should create an electronic 
application process for these applications. To the extent DHS does not 
believe it can do a mass fee waiver for this category of applicants 
without a regulation, the process should be streamlined as much as 
possible. Foremost, DHS must ensure robust funding for the Refugee 
Corps and staffing for overseas locations with Afghans to begin 
resettlement adjudications in earnest, creating safe pathways and 
expediting life-saving refugee protections.
    There are also operational steps that DHS can take to streamline 
the processing of Afghan guests in the United States. With large 
numbers of Afghan parolees being unable to access their Arrival/
Departure Records (Form I-94) from the Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) website, we urge CBP to issue hard copy Form I-94s at Ports of 
Entry. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) should support 
rapid self-sufficiency in clients by issuing Employment Authorization 
Documents (EADs) to guests before they depart the Government facilities 
and offering EADs in a digital format.
    For the IRC, involvement in this domestic emergency response in 
unprecedented and it is truly a historic operation in terms of size, 
scope, and complexity. Each of the guests has their own harrowing story 
of escape and are thankful to the United States for bringing them to 
safety. One of the IRC's staff members from the Atlanta office, himself 
a previous SIV recipient, has worked for us for 2 years. He went back 
to Kabul to help his wife and children evacuate and ended up trapped 
behind Taliban lines. He finally got out of Kabul and was evacuated to 
Germany for over a month. He and his family just arrived at one of the 
Safe Haven Government facilities in Virginia and he is waiting to take 
them home. When asked how it felt to be back in the United States, he 
replied, ``The feelings can't be expressed! You don't know how much 
love I have for this soil.''
    We have witnessed a groundswell of support from the American 
public. The IRC has seen a 47 percent increase in volunteer 
applications in this past month compared to the same time frame last 
year and recent polling by CBS News/YouGov shows that 81 percent of 
Americans say the United States should help Afghan allies come to the 
United States. In this unique and urgent moment, we beckon the U.S. 
Government, including the Department of Homeland Security, to engage 
with the IRC and its other partners in a fully open, transparent, and 
collaborative fashion.
    Thank you for your time and holding a hearing on this important 
topic. I look forward to answering your questions.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Ms. Marcos, for your testimony.
    I now recognize Ms. Bahram to summarize her statement in 5 
minutes.
    Welcome.

STATEMENT OF NAHEED SAMADI BAHRAM, U.S. COUNTRY DIRECTOR, WOMEN 
                        FOR AFGHAN WOMEN

    Ms. Bahram. Dear subcommittee Members, thank you so much 
for this opportunity today. My name is Naheed Samadi Bahram. I 
am the U.S. country director at Women for Afghan Women, the 
largest women rights organization globally with over 1,200 
staff working on the ground in Afghanistan.
    Women for Afghan Women is based in New York, and started 
its operation from New York. We have been supporting Afghans 
and other immigrant communities through social, educational, 
and legal services. We appreciate the launch of Operation 
Allies Welcome, which is an incredibly important initiative to 
safely resettle Afghans in the United States.
    Women for Afghan Women and the Afghan community at large 
are very appreciative of the resources and effort that have 
been made so far. Some positive feedbacks I have been hearing 
from the community includes the committee being available and 
connecting the members of our community to governmental 
departments and organizing listening sessions, where a lot of 
the questions that were unknown have been answered.
    The Afghan community and our allies have been also 
instrumental in providing refugees with the assistance that 
they need. Community members are donating essential items, 
fundraising, settling apartments, and ready to welcome our 
Afghan neighbors in our communities. We are eager to work with 
the refugee resettlement organizations to provide the 
culturally and linguistically competent services.
    Through our observation with the resettlement efforts these 
last several weeks, we have 3 key recommendations we hope to 
collaborate on. The first one, we strongly want the involvement 
of Afghans in this process, in decision making as well as 
partners with the refugee resettlement organizations. As many 
of us already and have expertise on this issue, many of us have 
been refugees and have been through this process ourselves.
    We also want to let everybody know that there are a large 
group of Afghans with their expertise available to help, but, 
unfortunately, not being called on. We want Operation Allies to 
partner with Afghans on any of these decision making and 
resettlement. For example, initially, a group of unaccompanied 
Afghan minors was sent to one of the agencies where there was 
no Dari or Pashtal language services. We heard that children 
were speaking to the parents, and the parents try to speak 
English. Once they couldn't, they tried to speak in Spanish. We 
know Spanish is not the language spoken in Afghanistan.
    Our second recommendation is to assess and evaluate the 
conditions present in the bases where Afghan refugees are 
waiting to be processed. I, myself, visited one yesterday, and 
I think I was lucky to visit the best one, but I have heard so 
much from the community and people that I know in the base.
    Some example of that is, I had a friend whose family are in 
one of the bases. Her sister got her period and was not able to 
receive a pad for over 24 hours after asking multiple times.
    Another family with a pregnant woman said after standing 
for hours in a line for food will not get enough portion for 
her and her baby to be--to feed--to be feed. She start losing 
weight, and therefore, her husband has been sharing his portion 
of food with her.
    The other thing that I observed yesterday in one of the 
bases was a lot of--there is a lot of unknown, and people are 
really worried about how long they will be staying on the 
bases.
    Last, but not least, is during these periods of resettling, 
we do understand it is a challenging period, and we have 
thousands of people here, but we also want to add that 
organizations like us are ready to work, and Afghans around the 
country are ready to work.
    I do not want to take more time, and I want to appreciate 
this opportunity to testify in front of all of you, and thank 
you for your time, concentration, and support of the Afghan 
people. It is very personal to me, and I really appreciate the 
outpouring love that we have been getting from all over the 
world. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Bahram follows:]
               Prepared Statement of Naheed Samadi Bahram
                            October 21, 2021
    Dear subcommittee Members: Thank you for this opportunity to 
testify today. My name is Naheed Samadi Bahram. I am the U.S. country 
director at Women for Afghan Women, the largest Afghan women's rights 
organization globally. We are based in Queens, New York where we 
support Afghan and other immigrant communities through social, 
educational, and legal assistance.
    We appreciate the launch of Operation Allies Welcome, which is an 
incredibly important initiative to safely resettle Afghans in the 
United States. Women for Afghan Women and the Afghan community at large 
are very appreciative of the resources and efforts that have been made 
thus far.
    Some positive feedback included Afghans expressing their gratitude 
for the prompt responses and assistance when reaching out to Government 
departments with questions or requesting information. Listening 
sessions have been extremely valuable to the community to build on this 
important communication channel.
    The Afghan community and our allies have also been instrumental in 
providing refugees with the assistance they need. Community members are 
donating essential items, providing translation services, fundraising 
for resettlement efforts, and filling in gaps where needed. Many 
individuals continue to reach out to us, eager to do more to support 
incoming refugees.
    Through our observations with the resettlement efforts these last 
several weeks, we have three key recommendations that we hope we can 
collaborate together on:
    Our first recommendation is to strongly increase involvement of 
Afghans in decision-making processes and leverage their expertise.
    As you may already know, the vast majority of Afghans in the United 
States came through the refugee and asylum programs, which saved their 
lives and gave them hope. We must ensure that Afghans are not only 
present when making decisions on organizing and strengthening 
resettlement efforts, but that their voices and lived experiences are 
being prioritized.
    There are Afghans in the United States that have a tremendous 
amount of expertise in diverse fields such as interpretation, 
operations and management, communications, medical and emergency 
services, law, and so much more. Operation Allies Welcome can greatly 
benefit from increasing the role our community plays in making key 
decisions on resettlement.
    For example, in the initial stages of this initiative, many 
unaccompanied Afghan minors were processed and connected to services 
that did not have any Dari or Pashto language services. WAW hopes to 
serve as a bridge and ensure that Government and non-Governmental 
agencies have the linguistic and cultural competencies that are 
integral to resettlement efforts. In fact, we have already reached out 
to organizations in the New York area to see how we could provide our 
assistance.
    Our second recommendation is to assess and evaluate the conditions 
present at military bases where Afghan refugees are waiting to be 
processed.
    We have received various feedback based on the different locations 
Afghan refugees are waiting. Some concerning stories were shared that 
we wanted to bring to your attention.
    One individual shared that her family member who was waiting at a 
military base for processing was on her period and repeatedly requested 
pads, but was not provided with these supplies until 24 hours later. 
Another family shared that a pregnant woman waited in line for a few 
hours to receive food, but when she did receive her portion it was not 
enough nutrition for her and she began to lose weight, therefore her 
husband had to share his portion of food with her.
    We fully acknowledge the challenges in providing resources to a 
large group of arrivals, but are eager and willing to support Afghan 
refugees in receiving basic needs during this transition. Please let us 
know how we can assist.
    Our last recommendation during this period where thousands of new 
families are arriving, is for Operation Allies Welcome to strengthen 
partnerships with organizations and groups in addition to the 9 
resettlement agencies.
    Women for Afghan Women has been in close contact with Lutheran 
Social Services in Virginia as well as 5 resettlement agencies in New 
York. We are supplementing resettlement needs by assessing what other 
types of support and items are needed for newly-arrived families.
    This model of partnership can be replicated in all areas where 
Afghans are resettled. During this time when many groups have limited 
capacity, we can increase cooperation among Government and resettlement 
agencies, community-based organizations, religious institutions, and 
Afghan community members that are very eager to provide culturally- and 
linguistically-appropriate support and fill in gaps as needed.
    Thousands of Afghan professionals are available and very willing to 
provide their skills and expertise. We look forward to finding ways to 
plug them into Operation Allies Welcome and leveraging all resources to 
successfully resettle our new Afghan community members.
    I greatly appreciate this opportunity to testify in front of you 
all today, thank you for your time, consideration, and support of the 
Afghan people. We truly appreciate it.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Ms. Bahram, for your testimony.
    I would like to recognize Mr. delaCruz to summarize your 
statements in 5 minutes.
    Welcome.

   STATEMENT OF ART DELACRUZ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TEAM 
                            RUBICON

    Mr. delaCruz. Good afternoon, Chairman Correa, Chairwoman 
Barragan, Ranking Member Meijer, Ranking Member Higgins, and 
Members of the subcommittees. I am Art delaCruz, the CEO of 
Team Rubicon, and I would like to thank you for convening this 
forum.
    So Team Rubicon is a National disaster response 
organization that mobilizes military veterans and civilians to 
help communities prepare, respond, and recover from natural 
disasters and humanitarian crises.
    Founded in 2010, we have grown from 8 volunteers to 
150,000, and these men and women, the majority of who are 
military veterans, deploy at a moment's notice to address unmet 
needs in communities across the country following floods, 
tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and the same internationally.
    From Hurricane Sandy to Hurricane Ida, from tornadoes in 
Moore, Oklahoma, to Kansas, to derechos in Iowa and 
international responses in the Philippines, Haiti, Mozambique, 
Team Rubicon is a humanitarian organization that seeks, with 
support, to alleviate human suffering and provide a safer, more 
stable tomorrow.
    We are committed to serving people who need us in times of 
emergency, and our men and women will not turn away. We respond 
to all phases of the disaster cycle from mitigation efforts to 
lessen the impacts of wildfires, to helping homeowners get back 
into safe homes after disasters. Team Rubicon has conducted 
almost 1,000 operations since our founding in 2010.
    Our volunteers are called gray shirts. They serve in other 
capacities to meet any disaster to include recently the 
pandemic, specifically with COVID-19. We define a disaster as 
anything that overwhelms a local community. Since March 2020, 
in over 300 communities, we have managed to help in efforts 
with food banks, setting up testing sites, facilitating 
financial aid, COVID field hospitals, and medical services in 
places like the Navajo Nation. We do this while simultaneously 
addressing disaster response and rebuilds of houses which is 
core to our mission, to include being in Louisiana since the 
record 2020 season.
    In December 2020, we added vaccine distribution. We have 
worked closely with similar agencies. We have seen with FEMA 
and the Veterans Administration to manage fixed and mobile 
sites, and we created a coalition of veterans, and we are proud 
to say we have achieved 1.6 million vaccinations in 105 cities.
    I will take this moment to emphasize that the majority of 
our volunteers are military veterans who work alongside first 
responders and all sorts of civilians from every background. 
They bring unique skills and experience to the forefront in the 
execution of this mission, and I am joined by people from all 
of these backgrounds, and they, coupled with military 
specialties, bring success. We train. We have a penchant to 
continue to serve that makes these services possible. These men 
and women who come from all of our service, I would like to 
think that they have unique schooling. It is not just the 
service, it is what they learn. It is their skills. It is their 
experience. It is classes and leadership decisiveness, resource 
management, ingenuity, and training that make our mission 
possible.
    As you know, it is no surprise that veterans continuing to 
serve after they take off their uniform is a legacy that we 
should all be proud of.
    Regarding the Afghan resettlement, as the Nation watched 
the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent evacuations 
and associated efforts, the veteran bias for action again 
prompted our organization and many others into action.
    To be clear, it is not my intent or an area of expertise to 
discuss withdrawal operations or efforts. Rather, I would like 
to take this time to point out that Team Rubicon, like many 
organizations, was founded post-9/11, and many of our volunteer 
veterans deployed to Afghanistan and forged strong and lasting 
relationships. They had complex emotions during the withdrawal 
like many veterans across the country, and our volunteers were 
eager to assist in the resettling. Images of men, women, and 
children on C-17s as they took off served as catalysts for 
action.
    It is time to do something, and they asked, what is the 
next mission at hand? How can our organization help?
    Collaboration happened quickly. Team Rubicon was asked to 
consider potential roles our volunteers could serve with. We 
met with organizations, the State Department, FEMA, the 
Department of Defense leadership, leadership from VOADs across 
the country, and base leadership.
    Ultimately, Team Rubicon decided we could have impact by 
managing donations. It wasn't a core mission of our men and 
women. We were going to figure it out. We were going to build 
the technology to do it, and we did so.
    For context, after the suicide bombing, these men, women, 
and children often left with nothing but the clothes on their 
back. That drove the urgency for meeting their immediate needs. 
From clothing to shoes, toiletries, diapers, and baby formula, 
all of this had to be a priority. With no clear mechanism, 
process, or authority, we collaborated, and we began to figure 
this out to quickly pivot to solve this in our space.
    We were initially asked to support two bases with donated 
goods management. It quickly grew to 7 bases along with the 
management of shipments to Holloman Air Force Base. We began 
our operations on August 30, 2021, under the guidance of the 
defense coordinating officers, and we continued at Fort McCoy, 
Camp Atterbury, Joint Base McGuire, Dona Ana Range, Quantico, 
Fort Pickett, Fort Lee, and Fort Bliss.
    It is also important to note that communities across the 
country rallied. Places like the Twin Cities and Chicago gave 
us donations that we could pack and move into the bases. At the 
time of this writing, over 4 million items at an estimated 
value of $15.5 million have been distributed across the 
country. These donated goods have come from across the country 
from citizens who are ready to help.
    As we look forward, we understand the transition into 
communities across the United States will require a whole-of-
community effort. The other witnesses have already mentioned 
that, and I hope this committee knows that men and women 
volunteers are ready to rally to this. Other non-profits, 
veteran service organizations, coalitions have answered and are 
at the ready to continue this call, place incredible agencies 
we have had the opportunity to work with, like Ministries 25, 
Save the Children, Salvation Army, State VOAD, Samaritan Purse, 
American Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, 
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Peace Corps, among the 
many----
    Mr. Correa. Mr. delaCruz, I am going to ask you to 
summarize and conclude, please. Thank you.
    Mr. delaCruz. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve. 
We look forward to any questions you might have.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. delaCruz follows:]
                   Prepared Statement of Art delaCruz
                            October 21, 2021
    Good afternoon, Chairman Correa, Chairwoman Barragan, Ranking 
Member Meijer, Ranking Member Higgins, and Members of the 
subcommittees, I am Art delaCruz, the CEO of Team Rubicon and a 22-year 
military veteran. On behalf of Team Rubicon, I would like to thank you 
for the opportunity to testify before you today regarding the efforts 
to resettle Afghan families.
                          team rubicon mission
    Team Rubicon is a National disaster response organization that 
mobilizes military veterans and civilians to help communities prepare, 
respond, and recover from natural disasters and humanitarian crises. 
Founded in 2010 in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, our nonprofit has 
grown from 8 volunteers to over 150,000. These men and women, the 
majority of whom are military veterans, deploy at a moment's notice to 
address unmet needs in communities across the country immediately 
following floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and on a limited basis, 
to the same internationally. From Hurricane Sandy to Hurricane Ida, 
from the tornadoes of Moore, OK to the derechos in Iowa, to 
international responses in the Philippines, Haiti, or Mozambique, Team 
Rubicon is a humanitarian organization that seeks to alleviate 
suffering and provide a safer and more stable tomorrow. We are 
committed to serving people who need us in times of emergency and that 
means we do not turn away people who need help.
    Team Rubicon responds to all phases of the disaster life cycle, 
from mitigation efforts to lessen the impacts of wildfires in the West 
Coast, expedient home repair to get homeowners back home after 
devastating hurricanes, and long-term resilient home rebuilding to 
ensure residents can weather the next disaster safely at home. To date, 
Team Rubicon has conducted almost 1,000 operations since our founding 
in 2010.
    In addition to responding to traditional disasters, our volunteers, 
also called Greyshirts, have served in other capacities to meet needs 
associated with the pandemic and COVID-19. Broadly speaking, we define 
a disaster as anything that overwhelms the resources of a community. 
Since March 2020 and in over 300 communities across the country, our 
volunteers mobilized to aid in staffing and managing food banks, 
setting up and facilitating testing sites, assisting with financial aid 
distribution, expeditiously setting up and manning domestic COVID field 
hospitals, and providing medical decompression services in places such 
as Navajo Nation. These efforts ran simultaneously as we continued to 
deliver disaster response and rebuild services in core response areas, 
such as a continued presence in Louisiana following the hurricane 
response 2020 record storm season. In December 2020, Team Rubicon added 
vaccine distribution to our operation set. With the approval of 
vaccines under emergency use authorization, we partnered with agencies 
such as FEMA and the Veterans Administration to manage fixed and mobile 
sites to ensure equitable vaccination distribution across the country. 
A consortium of veteran service organizations came together as the 
Veterans Coalition for Vaccination (VCV) to create a Nation-wide 
network of veteran volunteers to serve as a resource to augment the 
efforts to convert vaccines to vaccinations. To date, Team Rubicon has 
assisted in distributing over 1.6 million vaccines to over 105 cities.
    I would like to take a moment to emphasize that most of our 
volunteers are military veterans who work alongside first responders 
and civilians from all backgrounds. Our veterans bring unique skills 
and expertise to the forefront of the execution of our mission. I'd be 
remiss if I did not take time to explain that it is not their military 
specialties that bring Team Rubicon success, it is the cumulative 
training coupled with their penchant to continue to serve that makes 
delivery of our services possible. If you view the experience in the 
Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard as unique schooling, 
you'll be able to understand that these men and women are graduates of 
classes on decision making, leadership, decisiveness, resource 
management, safety, process development, training--and many others that 
allow a mission to be developed and successfully executed. As you know, 
veteran service after taking off the uniform is legacy and something 
this Nation has seen benefit from since our earliest conflicts. Men and 
women who wore the uniform of our military services tend to continue to 
find ways to serve and contribute to our society.
                 efforts to support afghan resettlement
    As the Nation watched the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the 
subsequent evacuations and associated efforts, the veteran bias for 
service was once again prompted into action. To be clear, it is not my 
intent or an area of expertise to discuss the withdrawal operations or 
efforts. Rather, I would like to take this time to point out that Team 
Rubicon originated post-9/11, and many of our veteran volunteers 
deployed to Afghanistan and forged strong relationships with Afghan 
translators and linguists. While processing complex emotions of the 
withdrawal, our volunteers, like many veterans across the country, were 
eager to assist their Afghan allies in resettling. Images of men, 
women, and children on C-17s as they took off from Kabul, served as the 
catalysts for thinking about what mission might lie next for our 
volunteers and how they could positively impact the futures of the 
Afghan families. What might be the next task at hand? How could an 
organization with many veterans with first-hand experience contribute?
    Team Rubicon was asked to consider potential roles our volunteers 
could serve in the Afghan resettlement efforts. Initially, we met with 
organizations convened by the State Department that included FEMA, 
Department of Defense leadership, leadership from Volunteer 
Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs), and base leadership. 
Ultimately, Team Rubicon decided, in collaboration with these agencies, 
that an area where we could have immediate and direct impact was in the 
management and distribution of donated goods. Though we had no core 
mission centered on donation management, it was clear that the needs 
would be urgent and great.
    After the suicide bombing, the evacuees were limited with what they 
could bring aboard the evacuation flights. Many literally fled with the 
clothes on their backs and if lucky, had a backpack of belongings. They 
would arrive with nothing so it would be critical to meet their 
immediate and basic needs, including a change of clothing. Other items 
such as toiletries, diapers, and baby formula would also be priority. 
With no clear mechanism, process, or authority to receive these 
donations from the community, partners or corporate sponsors, Team 
Rubicon had a massive task ahead. The enablers built during our COVID 
operations, allowed us to quickly pivot and problem-solve in the space. 
Our tech team built out an inventory system to keep track of donations 
and meet needs as they arose. We were initially asked to support 2 
bases with donated goods management and that quickly increased to 7 
bases, along with the management of donation shipments to Holloman Air 
Force Base.
    Team Rubicon began our operations on August 30, 2021, under the 
guidance of the Defense Coordinating Officers at the respective bases. 
Within days, the volunteers were able to begin collection operations. 
They collected items based on the unique needs of each base, 
established locations to collect and sort donations, and created 
processes for needed items to be shipped to the bases for distribution.
    At Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, we designed a manual that could be 
replicated at Camp Atterbury, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Dona 
Ana Range, Quantico and Fort Pickett. Donations drives were launched in 
larger cities to collect donations en masse at the United Center in 
Chicago and at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field Stadium. An ad hoc 
partnership was formed with community organizations; the Salvation 
Army, Goodwill, local churches and community leaders served as local 
donation points and leadership teams at Camp Atterbury designed packing 
and sorting processes that were implemented State-wide. Each base 
established an Amazon wish list to meet the ever-changing needs on the 
ground. At the time of this writing, over 4 million items, at an 
estimated value of $15.5 million, have been distributed and 2.8 million 
items were sorted and ready for distribution. These donated goods came 
in from across the country and Team Rubicon served to communicate 
needed items, received the donations, and ensured they were distributed 
on the bases. It was, and still is, heartening to see the outpouring of 
support from communities and people across the country and we continue 
to receive donations even as we speak.
    In addition to donated goods management, Team Rubicon is serving at 
all points of the resettlement process including providing cultural 
advisors to ensure that all donated items are culturally appropriate. 
Further, we provided logistics support and translators as Afghan 
families first arrived via Dulles Airport. Finally, we are currently 
setting up housing units for families as they move from bases into 
communities and anticipate this occurring more frequently across the 
country as the resettlement process continues.
    As we look forward, we understand that the transition into 
communities across the United States will require a whole-of-community 
effort. We have started conversations with Welcome.US and the Operation 
Allies Welcome to explore how our capabilities can be extended to meet 
additional needs.
    I will conclude by stating that what Team Rubicon has done is a 
small portion of the work being conducted across the country on behalf 
of the Afghan families. Other nonprofits, veteran service 
organizations, and coalitions have answered and continue to answer the 
call to ensure the resettlement process continues. Families will leave 
these bases and begin new lives in communities across the country. 
Housing and employment, schooling, building new friendships, 
establishing community relationships, and creating new bonds to our 
culture while retaining their own will all be efforts that we can 
impact. Veterans, with their unique connection and bonds from serving 
with the Afghans, have the ability to lead and activate the upswell of 
support that will continue and grow in the coming months and years 
across this country, and I am confident they are up to the task.
                               conclusion
    Members of the committees, thank you again for the opportunity to 
share Team Rubicon's mission, the on-going needs of Afghan families in 
the United States, and our efforts to support these needs. To date 
1,081 volunteers have deployed to support this effort and our 
volunteers will continue to raise their hands as needed.
    We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and Government 
partners. I look forward to answering any questions you may have and 
working with the committees in the future.

    Mr. Correa. Thank you very much, Mr. delaCruz. I want to 
thank all our witnesses for your testimony.
    I will remind the subcommittee that we will each have 5 
minutes to question the panel, and I will recognize myself for 
5 minutes of questions.
    Following up on Mr. delaCruz' comments and Ms. Bahram, 
Operation Allies Welcome was a big operation. Last week, I was 
visiting a lily pad in Qatar, trying to take in the magnitude 
of the mission. I did a lot in very quick time. Yet, as you 
have all mentioned, there is so much left to do. What has your 
experience been working with the Department of Homeland and 
Federal partners?
    Ms. Bahram, you mentioned the need for something beyond 
humanitarian parole for some kind of a permanent residence, and 
Mr. delaCruz, you talked about the fact that folks have some 
skills, and we are trying to figure out how to place those 
skills, how to use those skills in the United States.
    Ms. Bahram, you mentioned that when--some people are 
being--the language challenge. Some Afghans are being spoken to 
in Spanish. In the 1960's, I had that experience. I was just 
sitting there because nobody spoke Spanish, so I know the 
feeling. But the challenge today is how do you get somebody's 
attention to your issues? Do you feel you have a go-to person 
or agency that will address your concerns? Ms. Bahram.
    Ms. Bahram. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we have. We have 
reached out to Department of Homeland Security, and they 
arranged a session with us, a listening session where they 
answered a lot of our questions. Fortunately, a day after that 
session, I still was in touch with the agency that had the 
children, and the translation service that they were using was 
Google translation.
    Mr. Correa. How about you, Mr. delaCruz? Do you feel you 
have got some access to some folks who can make some decisions 
for you and help the process?
    Mr. DelaCruz. Sir, in our process, the coordination has 
been good, and particularly with the Federal coordinating 
officer and the defense coordinating officers on the base. They 
are serving as our primary conduit between both our volunteers, 
other volunteers, and the Afghan humanitarian parolees, sir.
    Mr. Correa. Mr. Breen, same question.
    Mr. Breen. Thank you. Our coordination has been good. I 
think we would love to see a continuing effort to strengthen 
the interagency coordination and response here on this 
Government problem that is extremely complicated as we 
mentioned, and it is going to go on for a while. So we do think 
it is important that we just continue to focus on that strong 
interagency coordination.
    As you mentioned, sir, I do think it is critical that we 
address the legal status of these individuals as they come in. 
For that, Congressional action is very important. We very much 
need the Afghan Adjustment Act passed.
    Mr. Correa. Ms. Marcos, same question.
    Ms. Marcos. Yes, sir. I also agree. Coordination has been 
good, but this is an enormous operation, and there is more that 
can be done.
    Mr. Correa. I will now recognize our Ranking Member for 5 
minutes of questions.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I guess I want to start with Mr. Breen. Knowing--I believe 
actually we first met close to a decade ago when you were 
working with IRAP which was then the Iraq Refugee Assistance 
Program, and largely focused on the Special Immigrant Visa 
program, so kind-of a full circle here. How would you assess 
what you are hearing and what is going on in terms of our 
continuing plan to evacuate at-risk Afghan allies?
    Mr. Breen. Thank you. Thank you for your service in many 
capacities and your continued leadership.
    I would say that we have come a long way, and we have a 
long way to go. There are many thousands of Afghans, as I 
mentioned, who are outside of the United States and have not 
yet reached lily pads. It is critical that we not take our eye 
off the ball and continue to evacuate them. Many of them are at 
great risk.
    It is also important, I think, that we, as I said, grapple 
with the uncertainty and legal status that will follow if we 
don't deal with the consequences of humanitarian parole as the 
primary pathway to entry, right. It is not a pathway to 
permanent status. It is typically a temporary allowance to 
enter and remain in the United States. As a result of that, 
Afghans who have been or will enter the United States under 
humanitarian parole under Operation Allies Welcome are going to 
find themselves under a cloud of legal uncertainty.
    The Adjustment Act would essentially allow them to have the 
same rights and privileges they would have had they been 
admitted through the U.S. refugee resettlement, or through the 
SIV program. Virtually, all the Afghans arriving meet that 
legal definition of a refugee or qualify for the SIV program, 
so to not [inaudible] would, in essence, legally penalize them 
for having been evacuated, and it is really important that we 
avoid that.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you. No, I appreciate that, and, having 
talked with a number of administration officials going back to 
April, I hope that the assurances we are being given that there 
is a plan in development, that that will ultimately occur, are 
not empty ones.
    Mr. delaCruz, thank you again. It is great to have you and 
Team Rubicon represented here today. You know, I know first-
hand what a valuable asset the veterans community has been to 
our country in general, but also addressing these complex 
emergency operations, and also recognizing that for many of 
Team Rubicon's volunteers and staff members, this is an 
intensely personal mission that Jake Wood, co-founder of Team 
Rubicon, an Afghanistan veteran.
    But first, I just wanted to give you the opportunity to 
speak a little bit more about how you and other veterans 
working with Team Rubicon have experienced the last few months 
and how that has impacted your efforts here.
    Mr. delaCruz. Yes. So, obviously, like the veteran 
community, Team Rubicon is as diverse as the members of this 
Nation. So I think the way that people addressed it and the 
feelings they had with respect to the withdrawal, they were 
across the board.
    The one common thing I can say from the veteran community 
is there was a common bond and this understanding that we had 
to welcome our allies back. That bond, that standing shoulder 
to shoulder on the dirt of Afghanistan could not be broken, and 
they understood that they could play a role. They activated to 
try to make the resettlement process as smooth as possible and 
contribute to the best of their ability, leveraging their 
skills, experience, and, oftentimes, a deeply personal 
connection.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you. Do you feel it is important for the 
Federal Government to continue to engage, especially with 
veteran service organizations, regarding the on-going 
resettlement efforts? If so, what is the best way that our 
Government can accomplish that?
    Mr. delaCruz. Yes. I believe veterans should be considered 
an asset in this moment, and we should find opportunities where 
we can apply those skills that experience the adaptability that 
can, in these times, again, as has been mentioned by others, of 
ambiguity and a requirement to come to solutions I believe 
veterans, partnered with the civilian community, can have 
immense impact.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you. In your written testimony, you 
mentioned that Team Rubicon is working to set up housing units 
for families as they move from bases into welcoming 
communities, and you also anticipate this occurring more 
frequently as the process continues, as I think many of us do. 
We have heard directly from several organizations involved in 
those efforts that housing will be one of the biggest 
challenges.
    Can you provide some more detail on what you are doing to 
assist with housing capacity issues, what challenges you are 
facing, and what you think the Government should be doing 
specifically in that area to help?
    Mr. delaCruz. Representative Meijer, we aren't specifically 
involved in generating the housing. We are simply helping to 
provide the furniture, assembling, making sure the housing is 
ready to welcome the families. So I am unfortunately unable to 
comment on that, sir.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you.
    With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you.
    The Chair now recognizes the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee 
on Border Security, the gentlewoman from California, Ms. 
Barragan, for 5 minutes of questions. Welcome.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    This question is for everybody on the panel. As our Afghan 
allies speak to make a new life here in America, there will 
undoubtedly be challenges in navigating our complicated legal 
and asylum systems. Can you describe the importance of legal 
services to Afghan evacuees arriving on military bases? Anybody 
want to go first?
    Mr. Breen. I am happy to briefly address that.
    In a word, it is critical. It is absolutely crucial that 
they have access to legal advice. Our immigration system, as 
you well know, ma'am, is complicated on the best of days, and 
the legal status and the situation that Afghans who have been 
evacuated are facing is even more complicated.
    Again, I think Congress has the opportunity to alleviate 
that, to some great extent, with the Afghan Adjustment Act, but 
access to counsel is critical.
    We stood up Project Afghan Legal Assistance to meet 
precisely that need. There has been an overwhelming desire on 
the part of the American legal profession to meet that need and 
step forward through us and through many of our partners and 
allies. So that capacity is there, but ensuring access to 
counsel is absolutely critical.
    This is a situation in which it can make a life-or-death 
difference. We are facing--a lot of these families are facing 
legal situations that are not their doing. They had to destroy 
their documents in order to prevent themselves from being 
targeted by the Taliban at the checkpoint. Their documents were 
destroyed by the U.S. Embassy during the withdrawal from Kabul 
and so on.
    So these are complicated legal challenges they face, and 
access to counsel is absolutely critical.
    Thank you.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you. Anybody else want to comment on 
it?
    Ms. Marcos. I agree. It is very critical that all the 
Afghans have access to legal counseling, as well as the pathway 
to legal permanent residency.
    Ms. Barragan. Great.
    Ms. Bahram. I want to comment on this because for people 
who are inside the base, I think it is important that the 
process should start, especially the majority of them who are 
on humanitarian visas. They need to change the status. Some of 
them who will be applying for asylum, they are losing time 
while they are on the base and do not have legal assistance.
    So I think that is something that we have to think about. 
They only have 1 year to apply for asylum, and some of them 
have already been there over 2 months.
    Ms. Barragan. Right. Thank you very much.
    I will move on to my next question. Sadly, we know that 
many of the Afghan families and individuals who have come to 
the United States have suffered significant trauma along the 
way, and they are now facing the prospect of building a new 
home in a country with a different language and different 
customs.
    This is for witness Marcos.
    Can you describe the access that Afghan families have to 
mental health services upon arriving to the United States, and 
are there mental health services available for children as 
well?
    Ms. Marcos. Thank you.
    There are efforts under way to stand up, across all safe 
havens, services for both adults and children. At the final 
destinations, resettlement agencies will work hard with the 
community, including Afghans in the community, to provide 
appropriate psychosocial services during the resettlement 
process.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you.
    For our witness Ms. Bahram, how can these mental health 
services be improved? Can you talk about how important it is 
that these services continue once evacuees leave military bases 
and resettle in communities?
    Ms. Bahram. I think the past few weeks have been such a 
difficult time, not only for Afghans who are coming through 
evacuation but Afghans all around the world, and we have seen 
that when we serve the immigrant community here, how much is 
the need for providing that service.
    I think what we need to do right now is to recruit as many 
Afghan mental health professionals as possible, because the 
majority of the community who we might be dealing with will not 
be speaking the languages that we have. Having a translator or 
interpreter in those systems makes it difficult, especially for 
a woman to be speaking about the issues that she is going 
through.
    So we as an organization have been training all of our 
staff on mental health first. But we are also in the process of 
hiring an Afghan mental health provider so that we have staff 
ready to meet the need.
    Ms. Barragan. Well, thank you.
    I just want to thank you all for the work that you do.
    I think we, as Americans, need to come together to welcome 
everybody with open arms and not let the immigration issue 
become a wedge issue, and certainly not those that have fled 
Afghanistan and are here in America now, to welcome them in 
with open arms.
    With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Chairperson Barragan.
    The Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member of the 
Subcommittee on Border Security, the gentleman from Louisiana, 
Mr. Higgins, for 5 minutes of questions.
    Mr. Higgins.
    Mr. Higgins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. delaCruz, we are going to be moving fast here, good 
sir. Thank you for your service and for being here today.
    Afghan refugees, it is reported, are leaving military bases 
before official resettlement administered by the U.S. 
Government.
    Team Rubicon and other nonprofits here today, other NGO's, 
are providing intensive care for Afghan refugees, like 
transportation, temporary housing, food, medical screening, 
religious accommodation, other mechanisms to ease the process 
of resettlement.
    Given all that assistance, what incentive do Afghan 
refugees have to voluntarily leave the U.S. military bases with 
no resources or direction, forfeiting the assistance from 
nonprofits like yours, before official resettlement? Give us 
your opinion on that, sir.
    Mr. delaCruz. Sir, our involvement has been limited to the 
management, distribution, and collection of donated goods. So, 
unfortunately, I cannot comment on your question.
    I can tell you that----
    Mr. Higgins. So from your--I was kind-of asking for your 
opinion. You have an inside view. But you are just not 
knowledgeable enough about this particular question to comment 
on that?
    Mr. delaCruz. Sir, yes, I don't have the insight or the 
observations to be able to answer that question, sir.
    Mr. Higgins. OK. Well, then the odds go down that you can 
answer this one.
    When refugees are resettled into a given community, is the 
local government involved, and do they have any voice in the 
resettlement? Do you have an opinion or a view on that?
    Mr. delaCruz. Sir, from what I have observed over the 
course of the resettlements, and this is primarily through 
interactions with different agencies and their local 
communities, as well as the VOADs, the volunteer organizations 
assisting in disaster in the communities themselves, I do 
believe they have a say in the resettlement of the Afghans.
    What I have seen primarily has been how do we begin to set 
the conditions for them to have and enjoy a smooth resettlement 
into those specific----
    Mr. Higgins. So if I am receiving reports from local 
Government elected officials, like mayors and sheriffs, that 
they have no advance knowledge of resettlement operations until 
they show up, I should look further into that as to the 
validity of those claims? You think that those entities are 
well advised and properly advised, as they should be?
    If we are bringing refugees into their community, the local 
elected officials should certainly be involved and aware. Do 
you feel like we should look deeper into that?
    Let me just move on, because we will look deeper into that.
    I would like you to comment, sir, if you can, a 
confidential informant has advised me, he is a civilian 
employee with direct interaction with Afghans inside Fort 
McCoy, he has advised that all the refugees are divided in the 
living quarters by various factors, and that those that have 
been identified with disease are segregated.
    He advised that the military guards there do not restrict 
the movement, which is common, from the diseased quarters.
    Are you familiar with that?
    Mr. delaCruz. Sir, I am not familiar with that.
    Mr. Higgins. OK. We will look into that as well.
    That informant also advised me that the Afghan refugees are 
free to leave, but that if they leave, they cannot return to 
the base. Are you familiar with that?
    Mr. delaCruz. I am not familiar with that, sir.
    Mr. Higgins. We shall investigate that as well.
    Finally, I am being told that one of the motives that would 
cause them to stay in the base is that they are collecting a 
daily or weekly cash stipend, that they are actually amassing 
wealth.
    Are you aware or have you observed, you heard rumors of or 
seen, have verification of payments being given to Afghan 
refugees on the base?
    Mr. delaCruz. Sir, I have no awareness of that in our scope 
of managing and distributing donated goods.
    Mr. Higgins. OK. Thank you for your candor.
    Mr. Chairman, I respectfully and officially request that we 
dive deeper into some of these questions. As you can see, even 
solid Americans that are inside these resettlement operations, 
operating, are not aware of some of the things that are being 
reported that are going on.
    So we have an obligation to look into it. I trust your 
leadership and that of my Chairwoman. I look forward to further 
hearings on this matter because the American people deserve to 
know.
    Thank you all.
    Mr. Chairman, I yield.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Mr. Higgins, and thank you for 
bringing up those issues to our attention.
    Now the Chair will now recognize other Members for 
questioning that they may ask the witnesses. In accordance with 
the guidelines laid out by the Chairman and the Ranking Member 
in the February 3 colloquy, I will recognize Members in order 
of seniority, alternating between Majority and Minority and 
alternating between the two subcommittees.
    Members are also reminded to unmute themselves when 
recognized for questioning.
    The Chair now recognizes for 5 minutes the gentleman, Mr. 
Payne.
    Mr. Payne, welcome.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Madam Chair and the 
Ranking Members, for having this timely hearing.
    Afghan evacuees are temporarily housed at 8 military bases 
before relocating to communities throughout the United States. 
During this period, resettlement agencies are providing 
critical support services while the evacuees undergo 
immigration processing and receive vaccinations.
    Robin Dunn Marcos, Ms. Marcos, what services do 
resettlement agencies provide to Afghan evacuees on the 
military bases? How do these services differ from the ones 
offered by Federal agencies?
    Ms. Marcos. Thank you.
    So on the bases there are a number of different 
organizations that are working together to provide services. 
Incoming parolees receive COVID tests, they receive medical 
examinations, they receive the full complement of vaccines that 
are required, as well as other processing.
    The bulk of services to support the Afghan parolees will be 
at final destination with resettlement agencies where they will 
provide housing. They will continue any type of psychosocial 
service, health care, register the children in school, cultural 
orientations, employment orientation, and intake.
    Really the goal is to help them become economically and 
socially self-sufficient as quickly as possible.
    Also English-language classes. There is a whole array of 
services.
    Mr. Payne. Are any of them anti-vax? Or they don't have the 
choice, do they?
    Ms. Marcos. I don't believe they have the choice, sir.
    Mr. Payne. Interesting.
    Mr. Breen, how are the Government and resettlement agencies 
soliciting feedback to improve operations on the military 
bases? What has been done in response to feedback?
    Mr. Breen. Thank you, sir.
    I would defer to my colleagues who are more active on the 
bases with respect to that question.
    I think, with respect to the larger evacuation, the 
coordination has been good, but as has been mentioned in this 
hearing, we would like to see much stronger interagency 
coordination and cooperation to ensure that we continue to 
evacuate those at risk who have not yet reached a lily pad, who 
are still in Afghanistan or who are in a third country.
    That is many thousands of individuals, and it is critical 
that we continue that evacuation effort.
    We have yet to see what I would say is a robust plan to 
continue to do that from the administration, and I think it is 
critical that we all continue to collaborate.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you.
    Ms. Bahram, what are your thoughts on the engagement 
efforts? How can the Government and resettlement agencies best 
solicit feedback from Afghan evacuees in terms of their needs 
while on the military base?
    Ms. Bahram. Thank you, sir.
    I think yesterday I visited, as I mentioned, one of the 
bases, and I talked to a few Afghans there, worried that they 
had--that there were a lot of unknowns. They do not know how 
long they are there, how long they will be there, in what State 
they will be resettled.
    So I think with resettlement agencies and the Federal 
Government, I think one of the things that can be discussed is 
that uncertainty and unclarity about their future.
    I think that, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, there 
is a lot of expertise among Afghans, both people who have been 
evacuated, but Afghan-American diaspora here, and that can be 
tapped in and be of use. I think that will be very beneficial 
for the Federal Government as well as for the refugees who are 
arriving--who just arrived.
    Mr. Payne. Thank you. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Chair, I will yield back.
    Ms. Barragan [presiding.] Thank you.
    Mr. Chair Correa has gone to vote. Votes have been called.
    Mr. Payne. Oh. Madam Chair.
    Ms. Barragan. I will be taking over while he is out to 
vote.
    Next, the Chair recognizes for 5 minutes the gentleman from 
North Carolina, Mr. Bishop.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Ms. Barragan.
    I appreciate the humanitarian concerns expressed well by 
the witnesses. I acknowledge that there is a massive scope of 
humanitarian disaster created by the President's mishandling of 
the evacuation.
    The testimony of the witnesses, I think, is helpful to 
depict the extent of the burdens on Afghans and Americans alike 
through that. But I note that it is pretty difficult to fit 
this subject matter, frankly, into our committee's 
jurisdiction.
    After all, this is the Committee on Homeland Security, and 
of course one of the committees is Border Security and 
Facilitation. The other is Oversight. But, again, the security 
of the homeland is the first obligation of this committee.
    I want to make sure. The witnesses that are here could 
correct me or help me understand whether I am right or wrong. I 
understand, I think, The Hill has said about a month ago that 
there are 124,000, roughly, evacuated by the United States from 
Afghanistan.
    About 6,000 of those are U.S. citizens. Three percent, so 
that would be on the order of 3,700, 4,000, are Afghan SIVs. 
Six percent are lawful permanent residents. That would be about 
7,500, roughly. So that leaves about a hundred thousand.
    I understand, as Chairman Correa mentioned, lily pad 
countries, many are--there are, basically, possible parolees, 
about a hundred thousand.
    Someone said, I think in the course of their testimony, 
about 60,000 so far in the United States--I believe that was 
the number I heard, and someone can correct me on that as 
well--that are being initially vetted, the remainder, in the 
lily pad countries.
    Then, at least according to Mr. Breen's testimony, I guess 
they are all bound to come to the United States, or that is the 
suggestion.
    I was doing some reading. There is a joint Department of 
State, Department of Homeland Security report on the Afghan SIV 
process back in April that explained that required processing--
the administrative processing, security fraud and criminal 
backgrounds checks--involves rigorous background checks which 
are essential to the integrity of the SIV program and U.S. 
National security and may take anywhere from less than 30 days 
to over a year depending on the applicant's background.
    There is also a special tool that was implemented after 
2001, the Security Advisory Opinion, which it provides enhanced 
scrutiny of certain potentially higher risk nationalities and 
demographics.
    So I guess the question for anybody who is inclined to take 
it up is, who can speak to the question how security of the 
homeland can be fully protected while the Biden administration 
is paroling Afghans from the same refugee and SIV population, 
whose vetting historically took months and even years, within a 
matter of days or weeks? Is anybody in a position to speak to 
that?
    So hearing none, let me ask Mr. Breen, if you would at 
least see if you could correct me on facts, in terms of what my 
understanding is. Are we talking about a hundred thousand 
potential parolees?
    If so, you spoke about our moral obligation, but if they 
are not eligible for the SIV program, doesn't that mean they 
didn't serve along with American troops?
    If so, what is our moral obligation there, in your view, 
and what is the basis for your view about that?
    Mr. Breen. Thank you, Congressman.
    The latest information I have--and, again, I am not a 
Government official--the latest information I have is that, of 
those evacuated, about 85 percent are Afghans who would be 
eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa, P1 or P2 refugee status, 
or their family members. Additional information is about 40 
percent of those you are speaking of are children.
    So the vast majority of those evacuated, just on the face 
of it, would qualify for these programs.
    I think the concern around humanitarian parole is it is a 
legal mechanism, of course, that allows you to enter the United 
States in a moment of great need, but what it does not do is 
confer upon you any assurance you can remain in the United 
States.
    So what we are likely to see, unless there is an Adjustment 
Act, is all these folks will have to find some other channel 
within existing immigration law in order to not overstay that 
parole. That probably will lead to a large number of 
affirmative asylum applications or cases.
    As you know, sir, I would assume that the asylum system, we 
currently have a 400,000-case backlog in the existing asylum 
system, and so I don't think it is in anybody's interest to see 
all those affirmative asylum cases added to that backlog.
    There are also a number of other legal issues that may 
arise related to extortion by the Taliban, forced cooperation 
with the Taliban. One interpretation of existing U.S. law would 
bar someone from entering if they had been forced at gunpoint 
to feed a member of the Taliban.
    Ms. Barragan. Mr. Bishop, I am going to interject here 
because votes are happening, and Members are waiting to ask 
their questions, and the gentleman's time has expired.
    So I am going to now recognize, the Chair recognizes for 5 
minutes the gentlewoman, Representative Titus, from Nevada.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you very much, and thank you for that 
courtesy.
    You were talking about the backlog with the permanent 
asylum. If you are looking at Las Vegas or Nevada, the closest 
court is southern California. That takes a lot of time and a 
lot of resources for people to get down there.
    Could you comment on the possibility of using mobile courts 
to address some of this backlog?
    Anybody? No?
    Well, that seems like it would be a good idea, to help 
people fill out the paperwork and hold court in places other 
than where they are formally established now if we want to get 
through with the backlog. So I guess I will answer my own 
question.
    How about the possibility of using private sponsorships 
like they do in Canada? Because our State and many States have 
different programs. We have got something called a Wilson-Fish 
program in Nevada. We have to depend on Catholic Charities.
    Fortunately, we have an Office for New Americans that is 
helpful, but it is not actually done in the executive 
department.
    Would that be something that we could use? Seems to me we 
have got to think outside the box to deal with this problem.
    Mr. Breen. Congresswoman, I certainly agree with the 
thinking outside the box.
    I think the most critical intervention that I would 
recommend would be creating a categorical parole program for 
Afghan nationals, and that would prioritize and expedite the 
thousands of humanitarian parole requests that have been filed 
versus having to file them one at a time. Bringing that along 
with a fee waiver I think would be very effective.
    Ms. Titus. Anybody else?
    Ms. Marcos. The use of cosponsorship and private 
sponsorship we absolutely agree should be used in the 
resettlement of Afghans, as well as other refugees.
    Ms. Titus. What about the mobile asylum courts?
    Ms. Marcos. Sorry, ma'am, I can't speak to that.
    Ms. Titus. Well, there was an article in the paper about an 
audit that is being done at the State Department to look at the 
Special Visa program and some of this resettlement. I wonder 
how much one hand knows what the other hand is doing.
    Do you know or can you comment on State Department versus 
Homeland Security, what those problems are, in addition to 
Federal versus State and local and private?
    Anybody?
    Mr. Breen. Ma'am, there is a complicated immigration law 
problem that is waiting for us if there is not an Adjustment 
Act passed.
    So I think, to your point about mobile courts and other 
things, we are all for and have advocated strongly for methods 
that would clear the asylum backlog of 400,000. I mean, that in 
itself is a problem worthy of Congressional attention, to put 
it mildly.
    But in this case, I think the best move we could make, 
respectfully, would be to avoid adding additional cases, 
affirmative claims, to that asylum backlog by passing the 
Adjustment Act.
    That would allow Afghans who have been evacuated to have a 
very clear path, assuming they meet the requirements, toward 
permanent residency in the United States, which is the 
objective that I think we all share.
    Ms. Titus. Any comment about the cooperation or the audit 
for the State Department or how it affects what Homeland 
Security or what you all are doing?
    Well, OK. Thank you.
    I will yield back. That was useless.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you, Representative Titus.
    The Chair recognizes for 5 minutes the gentlewoman from 
Tennessee, Mrs. Harshbarger.
    Mrs. Harshbarger. Thank you so much, Chairwoman. I do have 
a couple questions.
    I thank the witnesses for being here today.
    I guess my question is this, and either one of you can 
answer this, and it may be different in every case. But what 
was the vetting process that your organization had to go 
through to get the--I guess, is it a contract that you got with 
the Government, in order to go ahead and process these Afghanis 
for Operation Allies Welcome.
    What kind of process did you have to go through, and was it 
a contract that you were awarded to do this?
    Mr. Breen. Ma'am, I would just simply say, we are not a 
Government contractor. We provide the services and the legal 
assistance that we provide on a volunteer basis, on a pro bono 
basis. So we are an independent organization.
    Mrs. Harshbarger. So you are an independent, of course, but 
so how did you--I mean, how did they choose you to do this, I 
guess is my question. Did you offer up your organization? Or 
how did they end up using all four of your organizations to do 
this operation? Anybody can start.
    Ms. Bahram. This is Naheed.
    We do not have any contract with the Government. As a 
social service organization and human rights, women's rights 
organization, we feel it is our duty to provide the services.
    As I mentioned, there are no contracts with the Government 
or no funding from the Federal Government for this project. We 
have been receiving private funding and foundation money, that 
we have been using that toward the resettlement work that we 
have been doing.
    I also really appreciate if people will call the people 
from Afghanistan as Afghan, not Afghani, because Afghani is the 
currency of the country.
    Thank you.
    Mrs. Harshbarger. Well, as a follow-up to that, when you 
are successful in your efforts of resettling a refugee in the 
United States, I guess my question is, what are you doing to 
make sure that he or she is successfully acclimated and 
assimilated as a member of their new community?
    Another, even to that, how do you determine--or who 
determines where these refugees will take refuge, what State?
    Because we were on a briefing and I asked the briefer, 
because 421 or 451 were located in Tennessee, and I knew the 
breakdown, and I got that 2 minutes before the briefing on 
which parts of the State that those refugees were placed.
    I guess my question is, do you have any input on that?
    But how do you follow them up, and what kind of outcomes do 
you use to measure how they are being assimilated, or do you do 
that?
    That is for anybody.
    Ms. Marcos. There are 9 nonprofit organizations that have 
cooperative agreements with the Department of State to enter 
into a public-private partnership on the resettlement of 
refugees, and within that program there are certain measures 
that all of the resettlement agencies must abide by.
    The 9 National resettlement agencies have a network across 
the country of over 200 offices. So that is the network that is 
initially resettling the parolees. It was kind-of fit right 
into that established infrastructure.
    As I mentioned, the goal of the resettlement program is to 
assist refugees to become economically and socially self-
sufficient as quickly as possible after arrival.
    IRC, like many other resettlement agencies, offers a number 
of services, both through Federal, State, local, and private 
funding, through citizenship. Each one of those have different 
outcomes that we track, but this is certainly something that we 
do.
    Mrs. Harshbarger. OK. Yes, I am just interested. I don't 
know how the process works when you volunteer as an 
organization to do that or how the Government allows different 
organizations to go about that.
    Just making sure that you can measure the outcomes to make 
sure these citizens are assimilated, that is very important.
    I will look further into that, and any information you 
could forward to us would be advantageous, for myself at least.
    With that, Madam Chair, I yield back.
    Ms. Barragan. Well, thank you for that.
    The Chair recognizes for 5 minutes the gentlewoman from 
Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, if you are prepared.
    Ms. Jackson Lee, I think you are on mute maybe. Yes.
    OK. I think maybe she is not ready. I know there is votes 
happening. What I am going to do here is I am going to recess 
so the Chair can return.
    Ms. Jackson Lee, are you prepared to ask your questions?
    Ms. Jackson Lee. No. I would like you to--I am walking on 
the floor to vote.
    Ms. Barragan. OK.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. So I would like to come.
    Ms. Barragan. OK.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. But I do want to ask questions, so I would 
like to have you come back to me. Thank you.
    Ms. Barragan. Thank you.
    So what we will do is, I have to run to vote, and the Chair 
is not back yet. We are going to recess, hopefully just for a 
few minutes, until the Chair gets back to resume the hearing.
    If our witnesses could just hold tight as we recess very 
shortly. We have Members that want to ask questions, and we do 
expect the Chair to come back very shortly.
    With that, we will stand in recess. Thank you.
    [Recess.]
    Mr. Correa. The committee will again come to order.
    Our next member, Mr. Clyde, will now be recognized for 5 
minutes of questioning.
    Welcome, sir.
    Mr. Clyde. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Like the rest of the world, I was horrified to see the dire 
humanitarian crisis unfold throughout Afghanistan in August. 
The circumstances leading to this tragedy were completely 
unavoidable and were a direct result of a leadership void in 
the Biden administration.
    This administration must learn from these failures so they 
do not repeat these mistakes in the future.
    Furthermore, we must ensure that the mechanisms we have in 
place to vet individuals coming from Afghanistan are sufficient 
and prioritize the safety and security of our citizens and of 
our Nation.
    Although the heartbreaking images from Hamid Karzai 
International Airport will forever be ingrained in our 
country's conscience, I am encouraged by the fact that many 
Americans, both at home and abroad, have stepped up to the 
plate to help their fellow men in time of need.
    The testimonies provided by each of the witnesses today 
prove that, and I thank you.
    So my first question is for Ms. Bahram.
    I am not sure if you saw the heartbreaking article in The 
Wall Street Journal this weekend about a mother who was being 
coerced to hand over her 3-year-old daughter to a man who lent 
her money so she could survive the aftermath of the 
humanitarian crisis.
    It is reported that the loan resulted in an insurmountable 
debt load that she could not bear--it was $550--and he demanded 
payment.
    The article goes on to discuss the dire conditions in 
Afghanistan, including a U.N. report that states 95 percent of 
Afghans are suffering from malnutrition leading into the winter 
months.
    I understand that your organization is the largest women's 
organization in Afghanistan, with over 850 local Afghan staff 
working tirelessly to provide support services to women, 
children, and families.
    So my question is, how has your staff in the United States 
and in Afghanistan been affected by the withdrawal, and what 
steps are you having to take to assist staff and clients in 
Afghanistan?
    Ms. Bahram. Thank you, sir.
    As mentioned, we have over 1,200 staff in Afghanistan. The 
majority of them are at high risk because they are women's 
rights and human rights defenders.
    The majority of them work with families who were--with 
women who were survivors of domestic violence or underage 
marriages or forced marriages, and fight Taliban in order to 
get the woman to safety.
    So our staff in Afghanistan obviously have been under a lot 
of risk, and we, unfortunately, were unable to evacuate any of 
them during the evacuation period.
    It has affected us personally, professionally. I have had 
losses during the war in Afghanistan. From the day I was born 
till now, I haven't seen a day of peace. But the past few weeks 
have been the darkest days of my life.
    I am sorry.
    Knowing people do not have simple food to eat, having a 
simple dinner on my dining table has been very difficult.
    Mr. Clyde. I am sorry.
    Ms. Bahram. My people do not have access to their bank 
account, and I being able to get my paycheck has been very 
difficult.
    Knowing people have been separated from their children at 
the airport and hundreds killed at that explosion, many bodies 
not recovered, one that I know personally, has been very 
difficult to live with my family.
    So I think it is a time for us to understand the importance 
of humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, and knowing that we should 
not let the people suffer anymore.
    As an Afghan American, I feel as an American we are 
responsible and we owe them, because the past 20 years there 
have been a lot of achievements, not only for women's rights 
but throughout the country, and having now kids 12 years and 
older sitting at home and not being able to go to school is our 
failure.
    Mr. Clyde. Yes. So everything that has been achieved--or 
much that has been achieved--I just see us losing that, and it 
is indeed a very, very terrible humanitarian crisis.
    So, Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask to submit the 
following article titled ``As Afghanistan Sinks Into 
Destitution, Some Sell Children to Survive'' for the record.
    Mr. Correa. Without objection.
    [The information follows:]
              Article Submitted by Honorable Andrew Clyde
  As Afghanistan Sinks Into Destitution, Some Sell Children to Survive
 u.n. warns that 95 percent of afghans aren't getting enough to eat as 
                           winter approaches
By Saeed Shah/Photographs by Joel van Houdt for The Wall Street Journal
Oct. 16, 2021 8:31 am ET
    HERAT, Afghanistan--Desperate to feed her family, Saleha, a 
housecleaner here in western Afghanistan, has incurred such an 
insurmountable debt that the only way she sees out is to hand over her 
3-year-old daughter, Najiba, to the man who lent her the money.
    The debt is $550.
    Saleha, a 40-year-old mother of six who goes by one name, earns 70 
cents a day cleaning homes in a wealthier neighborhood of Herat. Her 
much older husband doesn't have any work.
    Such is the starkness of deepening poverty in Afghanistan, a 
humanitarian crisis that is worsening fast after the Taliban seized 
power on Aug. 15, prompting the U.S. to freeze $9 billion in Afghan 
central-bank assets and causing a halt in most foreign aid.


    Already, 95 percent of Afghans aren't getting enough to eat, 
according to the United Nations' World Food Program, which has warned 
that ``people are being pushed to the brink of survival.'' Almost the 
entire Afghan population of 40 million people could fall below the 
poverty line in coming months, according to the U.N.
    Behind these statistics lie countless personal tragedies of 
families like Saleha's. She and her husband used to work on a farm in 
the western province of Badghis, but two years ago lost that income 
because of fighting in the area and drought. So they borrowed money 
just to get food. Hoping to find employment, they ended up moving to a 
giant encampment of people displaced from other provinces, known as 
Shahrak Sabz, in Herat.
    With the financial system and trade paralyzed after the Taliban 
takeover, prices for basic food items like flour and oil have doubled 
since mid-August. The lender offered early this month to write off the 
debt if she hands over her little girl.




    They have 3 months to provide the money. Otherwise, Najiba will be 
doing household work in the lender's home and be married off to one of 
his three sons when she reaches puberty. They are not sure which one. 
The oldest is now 6.
    ``If life continues to be this awful, I will kill my children and 
myself,'' said Saleha, speaking in her tiny two-room home. ``I don't 
even know what we will eat tonight.''
    ``I will try to find money to save my daughter's life,'' added her 
husband, Abdul Wahab.
    The lender, Khalid Ahmad, confirmed he had made the offer to the 
couple.
    ``I also don't have money. They haven't paid me back,'' said Mr. 
Ahmad, reached by phone in Badghis. ``So there is no option but taking 
the daughter.''


    Following the Taliban takeover, neighboring Pakistan and Iran, 
where many men from this community used to work as laborers, closed 
their borders, bracing for a flood of refugees. All that is left as 
work is collecting plastic bottles and other trash to sell for 
recycling. Other families in the area have had to surrender children to 
repay debts, residents say.
    Growing destitution could undermine the Taliban's so-far solid hold 
on power and serve as a recruiting tool for the local branch of Islamic 
State, their only significant rival. A Taliban official in the west of 
the country said that Afghans would have to get used to a meager 
existence.
    ``We suffered for 20 years fighting jihad, we lost members of our 
families, we didn't have proper food, and in the end, we were rewarded 
with this government. If people have to struggle for a few months, so 
what?'' said the official. ``Popularity is not important for the 
Taliban.''
    Taliban officials have repeatedly said they welcome international 
aid for Afghanistan but wouldn't compromise on their Islamic beliefs to 
secure assistance.
    The humanitarian crisis, however, is prompting a debate within the 
international community over whether to condition foreign assistance on 
the Taliban moderating their behavior and showing more respect for the 
rights of women and minorities.
    Afghanistan's new health minister, a urologist appointed by the 
Taliban and one of the few non-clerics in the new administration, 
pleaded for the international community not to abandon the country.
    ``It is the same mother, the same child, the same patient you were 
previously helping. They haven't changed,'' Dr. Qalandar Ibaad said in 
an interview. ``Governments change in all countries.''


    Groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross and the 
U.N. warn that emergency humanitarian aid must be unconditional. While 
demanding that the Taliban allow women to study and work is important, 
they argue, a more urgent priority is to make sure women don't freeze 
or starve to death this winter.
    The U.S. and other Western nations that spent the past two decades 
fighting in Afghanistan have a particular responsibility, some aid 
officials say.
    ``These countries who have their fingerprints all over the sorry 
situation here have at least to disburse the funding we need so we can 
avoid people perishing in enormous numbers this winter,'' Jan Egeland, 
secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which operates in 
more than a dozen Afghan provinces, said in an interview in Kabul. ``To 
pause the lifesaving funding because we're still negotiating female 
rights would be utterly wrong.''
    Mr. Egeland, a former head of the U.N.'s emergency aid arm, said 
his organization wouldn't reopen the boys schools in provinces where 
girls schools weren't allowed, but it wouldn't withhold aid that could 
save lives.
    Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at 
Human Rights Watch, said that donors had vowed they would judge the 
Taliban by its actions, but the risk of famine left them with little 
choice but to provide aid regardless.
    ``The Taliban are holding Afghans hostage and playing chicken with 
the international community,'' she said.




    Some 2,300 Afghan hospitals and clinics were dependent on foreign 
funding before the Taliban takeover. Just 17 percent of those are now 
fully functional, and 64 percent are out of essential drugs, said 
Richard Brennan, the regional emergency director for the World Health 
Organization.
    International aid had also paid the salaries of tens of thousands 
of doctors, nurses and teachers, now struggling to get by.
    In Herat, an emergency feeding center for severely malnourished 
babies run by the French charity Doctors Without Borders is full and 
has had to expand capacity. Babies are arriving with respiratory 
distress, dehydration, and shock. Their mothers are getting such little 
sustenance that they can't produce enough milk.
    At Herat Regional Hospital, the staff have threatened to quit after 
not having been paid for 4 months. The government hospital has run out 
of even common medicines like antibiotics and basic supplies like 
surgical gloves and bandages. Oxygen is in short supply.
    Patients have to purchase their own medicines, anesthetic, and 
other necessities for surgeries.
    ``I hope we don't go back to the situation of 25, 30 years ago, 
when there were basically no health facilities in this country,'' said 
Dr. Mohammad Aref Jalali, the medical director. ``We could lose 
everything we have achieved.''
    In the orthopedic ward, Abdul Rahman, was lying on a bed with pins 
sticking out of his leg, where he was shot by robbers for the motorbike 
he was riding. The wound had become infected and doctors told the 
father of seven they might now have to amputate the leg.
    ``If they cut off my leg, there's no one else to provide for my 
family,'' said Mr. Rahman, a laborer, age 37. ``What will happen to my 
little children?''



    Mr. Clyde. Thank you.
    I see my time has expired. I have one more question if you 
will allow me.
    Mr. Correa. If it is a quick one, go ahead, sir.
    Mr. Clyde. All right. For Ms. Marcos.
    According to the International Rescue Committee's website, 
your organization has helped resettle more than 16,000 SIVs 
since 2006.
    So you obviously have seen the extent of the paperwork and 
the burdensome regulations that have hindered our allies' 
ability to have their SIV applications processed in a timely 
manner.
    So in an attempt to reduce some of this red tape, the House 
passed the bipartisan ALLIES Act of 2021. Yet this bill has not 
passed the Senate. The problems associated with the SIV process 
have reared their ugly head during the evacuation process in 
Afghanistan.
    Our Nation ended up leaving thousands of people who 
supported our coalition's mission in Afghanistan while 
evacuating many who did not. Those left behind now are being 
targeted by the Taliban.
    Can you provide the committee with your thoughts, very 
briefly, on how Congress could better improve the SIV program 
and better support our future allies who have risked all to 
help us achieve our strategic goals?
    Ms. Marcos. Thank you.
    In my testimony I did offer correcting the P2 program, 
expanding it, to make it eligible for more folks that do not 
qualify for the time limits under the SIV.
    But all the programs could be made more streamlined to get 
more people timely relief.
    Mr. Clyde. Thank you very much.
    With that, I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Mr. Clyde.
    Ms. Jackson Lee for 5 minutes of questions.
    Ms. Jackson Lee.
    It looks like everybody is busy voting, doing something. 
Very busy place. So I will make some comments and maybe 
entertain adjourning of the committee hearing.
    My thoughts were just, drawing a parallel again to the 
Vietnam experience, a couple things come to mind.
    No. 1, how important it is the Afghan community--Afghan 
immigrant community and their contributions to this country, 
how valuable I anticipate they will be, to make sure that 
people understand who the community is and that you have come 
in to help us at a time when we do need employees and workers 
in this country.
    Second of all, just to make sure that your contributions 
and your history are not forgotten. I would ask you to think 
about creating a program like Writing on America. Let me 
explain to you.
    The Vietnamese community, there is an organization that 
every year has competitions on essays by refugees, to tell 
their story, to tell their trials and tribulations as they came 
to America. Then those essays, essentially the top ones, are 
essentially compiled and published in a book for generations to 
come.
    I think it is important that the Afghan community do the 
same thing, for a couple of reasons. No. 1, lessons learned for 
Americans. No. 2, for the legacy that your children will 
inherit. They need to know the experience that you have gone 
through. They need to know the history so they can better 
understand who they are in the context of being American.
    So I would ask you, as a suggestion, to think about doing 
that.
    Finally, in terms of our work on this committee, I started 
out by asking you if you had a go-to person, a go-to----
    Ms. Jackson Lee. I am on, Mr. Chairman. Sorry.
    Mr. Correa. OK. Ms. Jackson Lee, give me a few seconds here 
to finish my sentence.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. No problem.
    Mr. Correa. [Inaudible] that you have immediate answers to 
your concerns. I think addressing the issues, from getting a 
green card to getting a response to your needs, is essential 
for full integration, immediate integration into the greater 
part of America. So I would ask you to think about that.
    If you have any questions, like my colleagues have said, 
our offices are here to help, and we have been helping answer a 
lot of the questions from the community in the last few weeks.
    With that being said, I am going to introduce, or I should 
say recognize, Ms. Jackson Lee for 5 minutes of questions.
    Ms. Jackson Lee, welcome.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. Mr. Chairman, thank you so very much. I 
was only trying to let you know that I had weaved my way back 
in or wormed my way back in to the session that I had been on. 
It seems like I am on a double screen.
    But in any event, let me thank the witnesses and the 
Chairmen, the two Chairmen and Ranking Members, for this very 
important hearing.
    Let me also thank Mr. Breen, Ms. Marcos, and as well, Ms. 
Bahram, and certainly Art delaCruz. I have heard all of your 
testimony. It is moving.
    All of us were called by our constituents to help Afghans 
who had helped us. I want to pay tribute to retired Navy 
Commander Lisa Tonar. We were on late-night calls, 2 and 3 in 
the morning, to help families in particular that were 
interpreters and were trying to get out.
    One was able to get out before the United States left 
Afghanistan, but we were left with an interpreter who had a 
family of 9, including 9 children, more than a family of 9.
    In any event, and in addition, we had my constituent, 
Miriam, who is a doctor, they were stranded and had to make 
their way near the Uzbekistan border.
    The good news was that the doctor was in fact able to have 
her family take care of those as they just stood by the 
Uzbekistan border. Ultimately, they were transferred to the 
United Arab Emirates, where they stay.
    So here are my concerns.
    First of all, I have heard your concerns about food. I 
assure you, as a founder and co-chair of the Afghan Caucus 
since the Afghan war, a bipartisan caucus, having gone to 
Afghanistan many, many times, we will again assert our concern 
about these issues to be able to be collaborative and helpful.
    But I want to raise the question. I want Miriam to get out. 
She is in the United Arab Emirates along with the other 
interpreter and his family with so many children. We have not 
been able to be out. They are in the UAE's Humanitarian City 
awaiting admittance into the United States.
    Whoever will answer it, No. 1, would it be helpful if we 
took an inventory of where Afghans who are waiting to come to 
the United States are, those that are not on American soil? We 
need to know where they are, if they are in Afghanistan.
    I heard the tragedies of what happened. Miriam, this young 
doctor, had the same thing. She had to escort some women out of 
a hotel while the Taliban were searching in other rooms. It has 
been a nightmare.
    But I will say to you that I believe that democracy has 
been planted, it is a seed in the hearts of the Afghan people. 
I do believe that we are going to see democracy take hold and 
overcome those who are despots in the government now.
    But I do want to know whether an inventory would be helpful 
and whether we should raise that with all of the departments, 
from DHS to State.
    The other is, anyone wants to comment on those that are 
being still stationed, if you will, in United Arab Emirates, in 
the Humanitarian City? Any thoughts on how Congress can help to 
facilitate them getting back into the United States? I 
understand there are more than.
    Then last, anyone want to comment about the best way to 
ensure that adequate food is at the variety of facilities?
    I will yield to anyone. There are three questions that I 
asked, the inventory, getting out of the UAE, and food 
distribution.
    Thank you.
    Mr. Breen. Thank you, Congresswoman. Those are outstanding 
questions. Thank you so much for raising them.
    Very briefly, there are many thousands of families in the 
situation you have described all over the world, in Afghanistan 
and hiding, in neighboring countries, in the UAE, in the Gulf. 
That inventory would be extremely helpful.
    We in the NGO community are doing our very best to track 
all of these families. We need a whole-of-government plan to 
move those folks to the United States.
    Many of us have recommended humanitarian parole on a 
categorical basis with fee waivers, that would allow that to 
happen relatively quickly, combined with an Adjustment Act that 
would meet the [inaudible] requirements for the individuals 
once they reach the United States.
    I think that is a critical need, and thank you so much for 
raising it again, about the tens of thousands of people who 
have yet to be evacuated and are at this moment running for 
their lives.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. We will be in touch. Thank you so much.
    Ms. Bahram, I feel your emotion and pain. Do you want to 
talk about trying to help those with food and other needs?
    Ms. Bahram.
    Ms. Bahram. Our staff in Afghanistan also work in units--
with units here with displaced--internal displaced people, and 
the conditions are not good.
    We also, as I mentioned earlier, that not being able to 
access money or send money. Many of the staff are not able to 
take their paychecks from their bank account. That has been 
challenging.
    We are, as an organization, we have been searching for 
answers and looking and reaching out to people to find out a 
way to do that, but, unfortunately, have been unsuccessful.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. Should we reach out to the UAE and the 
State Department, to at least those who are there, to try and 
get them moving toward coming to the United States?
    Ms. Bahram. We definitely should, yes. I just heard that 
Pakistan will reopen its border as of tomorrow with 
Afghanistan. So hopefully that will make it a little bit easier 
for aid to go inside Afghanistan.
    Ms. Jackson Lee. Very good.
    Well, let me thank you, Mr. Chairman. I see a number of 
individuals that I will be reaching out to. The Afghan Caucus 
stands ready to work on a number of these issues, I know, with 
a number of our other committees. These are two very important 
subcommittees, and this is a very important hearing.
    Thank you to both Chairmen and Ranking Members for allowing 
me to participate today and your courtesies extended. Thank you 
again.
    We must solve this. These are people who have served on the 
front lines for us.
    I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Ms. Jackson Lee.
    I want to also echo Ms. Jackson Lee's comments about 
counting on our support in addressing some of these issues. We 
recognize our Afghan allies, we recognize the suffering of the 
people in Afghanistan, and are here to try to help as much as 
we can to make sure that these issues are not forgotten and 
that you are relegated to a memory somewhere. Let's work 
together to make sure we address these issues.
    Thank you very much.
    With that, I would like to call on Mr. Langevin for 5 
minutes of questions.
    Welcome, sir.
    Mr. Langevin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank both 
Chairs and Ranking Members for allowing me to participate in 
today's hearing, and I want to thank our witnesses for their 
testimony.
    So some of the testimony from today's witnesses reflects 
concerns I share about backlogs in processing humanitarian 
parolee applications. USCIS recently reported to my staff that 
they were adjudicating 14,000 humanitarian parolee applications 
with just 6 of their officers. I want to say that again, 14,000 
humanitarian parolee applications with 6 officers.
    That is completely and utterly unacceptable, and I call 
upon USCIS to address this shortcoming immediately.
    I am similarly concerned about possible backlogs forming at 
other points in the resettlement processes, as other Government 
installations face surges in demand for their services.
    So I am thinking, for example, of a surge in demand for 
driver's licenses which could cause backlogs at, say, for 
example, Departments of Motor Vehicles, and complicate the 
resettlement process for many Afghans.
    So aside from the humanitarian parolee process, are you 
seeing other choke points where Afghan refugees face 
significant backlogs in applications for critical documents and 
services?
    Based on your experience, do agencies providing critical 
documents and services have adequate linguistic and cultural 
competencies to account for the large number of Afghan refugees 
they will be serving?
    Are there opportunities for Congress to help alleviate 
these issues, for example, by providing resources necessary to 
hire additional staff?
    This is for all the witnesses. If you could answer that, 
address those questions.
    Ms. Bahram. I think there is definitely a need of more 
staff in USCIS. There has been definitely a backlog. We have 
applied for many people, for humanitarian parolees, and not 
have gotten any approved yet.
    There is also another issue with that for people who left 
Afghanistan and are in a third country. None of the countries 
are processing Afghan humanitarian visas.
    So if folks got out through charters and were able to be, 
for example, in Pakistan, Islamabad, the U.S. Embassy in 
Islamabad are not being processing any Afghan visas.
    So the challenge outside as well as inside has been the 
same.
    Mr. Langevin. OK. Other witnesses, if you would care to 
comment. Again, particularly, do you see other choke points and 
backlogs that we need to address?
    Mr. Breen. Thank you, Congressman.
    I think you have hit on one of the big ones, which is 
humanitarian parole. Requiring individual applications versus 
categorical humanitarian parole with fee waivers creates a huge 
burden on the system. As you say, that is underresourced at 
this time. It is a huge, critical need.
    I would just also underscore very quickly, there are many 
foreseeable backlogs coming unless an Adjustment Act is passed, 
primarily in the asylum system, but kind-of across the 
immigration system. That is foreseeable, that will go on for 
years and place a huge burden on the whole system unless that 
Adjustment Act is passed.
    Ms. Marcos. We would also like for 765s, the employment 
authorizations, to be available digitally, please.
    Mr. Langevin. OK. Thank you.
    Anybody else?
    I had another question. Given that we are getting close to 
the end of October, it is an unfortunate reality that Afghan 
children will be missing school time as they live temporarily 
on U.S. bases.
    Will these children and their families need additional 
educational assistance to make up for this lost time?
    What resources will be provided to address that need? Is 
there an opportunity for Congress to assist in providing such 
resources?
    Then my last one for witness Ms. Marcos.
    Are eligible refugees enrolling in Medicaid, the Children's 
Health Insurance Program or Refugee Medical Assistance? Are 
they, in fact, eligible?
    Remember, these are Afghans that helped U.S. forces, in 
many ways saved lives of U.S. troops. Providing the right 
resources and help is important.
    Are eligible refugees enrolling in Medicaid, the Children's 
Health Insurance Program or Refugee Medical Assistance?
    Do you believe that refugees are aware of the health care 
options available to them? If not, how could Congress support 
efforts to increase awareness and enrollment in health care 
services?
    Ms. Marcos. I am not well-placed to answer the education 
question, but the resettlement agencies absolutely will be 
helping enroll both children and adults in health care 
benefits.
    Ms. Bahram. With the education question, I would like to 
answer, because we have experienced this when the start of 
Special Immigrant Visa families have arrived in 2014-2015. Many 
of those kids have never been to school in Afghanistan and were 
placed in fifth and sixth grade.
    So our organization has provided an intensive tutoring 
program with an amazing group of volunteers, retired teachers 
who came forward and gave extra time to make sure that these 
kids will be able to catch up.
    I think it is important for us now that we are having a 
larger number of children out, it is important that we have to 
think of after-school programs that will specifically address 
this need.
    Mr. Langevin. Thank you very much. I know my time is 
expired.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you for your indulgence and for 
allowing me to participate, you and the other Chair and the 
Ranking Members. I yield back.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Mr. Langevin.
    Do we have any other Members that wish to ask questions of 
our witnesses?
    If not, then I want to thank the witnesses for their 
valuable testimony and for all our Members for the questions.
    Before I adjourn, I want to ask unanimous consent to submit 
a statement to the record from the Church World Service.
    Hearing no objections, so ordered.
    [The information follows:]
                   Statement of Church World Service
                            October 21, 2021
    As a 75-year old humanitarian organization representing 37 
Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox communions and 24 refugee 
resettlement offices across 17 States, Church World Service (CWS) urges 
the committee to affirm the need for the United States to take urgent 
action to save at-risk Afghans--and invest in our Nation's capacity to 
welcome and help our new Afghan neighbors integrate and thrive.
    CWS urges the Biden administration to process vulnerable Afghans to 
the United States, including Afghans who remain in Afghanistan and 
those in other host/third countries, for as long as it takes to get 
people to safety. Right now, countless vulnerable Afghans remain in 
imminent danger. The humanitarian crisis is far from over for 
potentially 1 million at-risk Afghans, including hundreds of thousands 
of Afghans who assisted the U.S. mission, U.S. citizens, and legal 
permanent residents who have been left behind, prevented from accessing 
life-saving services. The Biden administration must have a clear, 
efficient, and transparent strategy to evacuate Afghans in danger--
including women and girls, religious and minority groups, people with 
disabilities, and others; create safe pathways out of Afghanistan; and 
establish a process to vet and welcome Afghans to the United States. We 
are disappointed by the Biden administration's overly narrow list of 
priority stakeholders for evacuation, which currently includes only: 
American citizens, legal permanent residents (LPRs), immediate family 
members of American citizens and LPRs, U.S. Embassy staff, and Special 
Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants with Chief-of-Mission approval. While 
these individuals are undoubtedly deserving of evacuation, thousands of 
other Afghans face immediate needs for protection. The failure to 
prioritize them too imperils lives.
    CWS urges the Biden administration to establish a categorical 
parole program for Afghan nationals, waive humanitarian parole 
application fees for Afghan nationals, and ensure transparency and 
interagency collaboration in the U.S. humanitarian response to 
Afghanistan. The administration should create a categorical parole 
program for Afghans and ensure that at a minimum, the program covers 
Afghans with U.S. ties. Many categorical parole programs have been 
established in our histories, such as the Cuban Family Reunification 
Parole Program in 2007 and the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole 
Program in 2016.
    The administration should further waive humanitarian parole 
application fees for Afghan nationals, as many have paid exorbitant 
fees for loved ones overseas without clarity on processing times for 
reunification. CWS urges Congress to provide our Afghan allies and 
friends with the chance to apply to become lawful permanent residents. 
As many Afghans were advised to destroy documents associating them to 
the U.S. mission, this is particularly imperative. Many of the Afghans 
are or would have been eligible for processing through the SIV program, 
which grants visa holders immediate lawful permanent resident (LPR/
green card) status on arrival. Virtually all of the Afghans arriving 
via humanitarian parole meet the legal definition of a refugee and, had 
they been admitted through USRAP, they would have been eligible to 
adjust to LPR status after 1 year. As Afghans are welcomed to their new 
homes, and their new communities--integration is essential to stability 
and a clear future.
    CWS urges the Biden administration provide virtual and expedited 
screening and processing for all at-risk Afghans, including those who 
have applied for the SIV, humanitarian parole, and family reunification 
(such as follow-to-join/I-730) programs, as well as those who are 
referred to USRAP, including P-1, P-2, and P-3 referrals while in 
Afghanistan or host countries. Further, the administration should 
identify additional pathways to safety for at-risk Afghans who do not 
qualify for the SIV or USRAP program. This includes, but is not limited 
to, individuals who do not have a verifiable U.S. affiliation and are 
not known to the U.S. Embassy (and therefore do not qualify for P-1), 
but who were engaged in activities that make them targets of Taliban 
reprisals. Such individuals include civil servants, women's rights 
advocates, election workers, human rights lawyers, academics, and 
journalists. We strongly recommend including individuals who worked on 
U.S.-funded sub-contracts or sub-grants as well.
    CWS welcomes vulnerable Afghans arriving in our communities and 
asks for your support to help them fully integrate and thrive as they 
adjust to their new homes. At no other time has our moral 
responsibility to uphold these principles been greater.

    Mr. Correa. The Members of the subcommittee may have 
additional questions for the witnesses. We will ask the 
witnesses to, if you do get the questions, to respond 
expeditiously in writing to those questions.
    I also remind the Members that the committee's record will 
remain open for 10 days.
    Without objection, the subcommittees stand adjourned. Thank 
you very much.
    [Whereupon, at 4:31 p.m., the subcommittees were 
adjourned.]

                                 [all]