[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 82 (Thursday, May 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCTION OF THE AFGHAN ALLIES PROTECTION ACT OF 2019

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2019

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Afghan Allies 
Protection Act of 2019. This bipartisan legislation would authorize 
4,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visas and require the State Department 
to report to Congress on the obstacles to protecting Iraqi and Afghan 
allies as well as suggestions for improving the program.
  Since 2002, the United States Government has employed thousands of 
Afghan and Iraqi allies to serve alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and 
other government employees. As a result of their service, these allies 
and their families have become the targets of anti-American persecution 
and violence. As U.S. Government agencies and personnel continue to 
rely on local partners to ensure critical mission capabilities, Afghan 
and Iraqi partners continue to be threatened, abducted, or assassinated 
for their willingness to assist the United States.
  With broad bipartisan support, Congress created two Special Immigrant 
Visa (SIV) programs to provide pathways to safety for Iraqis and 
Afghans whose work with and allegiance to the U.S. Government has 
exposed them to direct threats, jeopardizing their safety and that of 
their loved ones. Although the Iraqi SIV program stopped accepting new 
applications in 2014, the Afghan SIV program continues protecting 
Afghan allies to this day.
  In recent years, the SIV applicant backlog has continued to grow 
while Congress has struggled to allot enough visas to bring our allies 
to safety in the United States. While the recent Fiscal Year 2019 
omnibus spending bill authorized 3,500 SIVs, the backlog remains at 
nearly 20,000 Afghans. Worse, the processing times for existing 
applications has slowed dramatically, forcing many to wait for years 
while living in fear of being targeted. Due to these issues and others 
facing the program, SIV arrivals have fallen by more than half over the 
last fiscal year.
  This legislation makes more visas available for the thousands of 
applicants in the pipeline and starts the process of improving the 
program so our allies can be brought to safety faster. The safety of 
these brave men and women, security of our troops, and our 
international standing depend on the United States be true to our word. 
We can't leave anyone behind.

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