[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 130 (Wednesday, August 3, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3910-S3911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AFGHANISTAN
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to note that, during this
coming recess, we will mark the somber occasion of the 1-year
anniversary of the fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan. I want to draw the attention of the Senate and the
American people to one of our most urgent priorities in Afghanistan:
providing immediate assistance for Afghan citizens that risked their
lives to further U.S. interests and whose lives now stand in jeopardy
should we not act soon.
Nine days--in the short span of 9 days after seizing control of the
first province to fall on August 6, 2021--Nimruz--a whirlwind of chaos
ensued. The world watched as, one by one, all of the country's
provinces fell to Taliban forces until finally reaching the capital
Kabul on August 15. With little resistance from the Afghan forces we
had trained and equipped over two decades, the Taliban simply entered
and took control. In terrified desperation, many Afghans gathered what
they could carry with them and fled. People left their whole lives
behind--their houses, their jobs, their friends and family--risking
their lives to flee the country in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
Shocking images of Afghans clinging to U.S. evacuation flights as they
took off could not have shown a clearer picture of the despair of so
many Afghans.
Amid this panic, the Biden administration acted swiftly to evacuate
American personnel and most American citizens.
We joined our international allies to call for a new Afghan
Government that is united, inclusive, and representative, including
with full participation of women. We joined international voices to
reaffirm our commitment to ensuring rights of women and girls in
Afghanistan. And along with our NATO allies, we committed to evacuate
at-risk Afghans.
And make no mistake, we as Americans remain committed to all these
priorities. We stand united with our allies to further these goals and
ensure a stable and secure Afghanistan. Central to the Taliban's
beliefs is the Pashtun code of ethics, ``Pashtunwaly,'' in which
``nang''--which means honor--stands as the central tenet. It is with
``nang'' in mind that we call on the Taliban to honor their commitment
to provide an accountable and inclusive government. We urge them to
honor their original and oft-repeated promise to uphold human rights
and support education for women and girls--commitments that recent
reporting suggests they are not fulfilling.
We call on them to honor their commitment to provide a safe and
secure Afghanistan for all Afghans. We join our allies in the
international community in these calls for action.
Yet in the aftermath of the fall of Afghanistan, there remains one
priority for the U.S. alone to undertake: ensuring the well-being of
Afghan citizens who put their lives on the line to serve our country.
These are the Afghans who worked at our Embassy and other diplomatic
facilities, served as our translators, helped us engage with the Afghan
Government, and provided us information and assistance. They are the
Afghans that served and studied in U.S.-affiliated centers and
universities. They are the Afghans who worked tirelessly to promote our
principles as journalists working for U.S.-affiliated outlets, like the
Afghan services of RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, and Ghandara. Without their
assistance, U.S. lives would have been lost. Without their support, we
would have been unable to talk about our U.S. values and priorities to
the Afghan people.
Without them, we would not have been able to work with the Government
of Afghanistan to promote our shared goal of regional stability and
security. To these individuals and their families, we owe a great debt
for their assistance. The 77,000 Afghans currently in the pipeline for
special immigrant visas, the 44,000 that await processing for their P1/
P2 visas, and yet another almost 5,000 that seek humanitarian parole,
these individuals are all counting on us. So I call on the State
Department to make renewed efforts to expedite these cases.
I would like to recognize that, to date, our government has made
enormous strides in this herculean effort; tens of thousands of these
individuals were evacuated from Afghanistan following the collapse of
the government. Yet tens of thousands more remain stranded in limbo,
both in Afghanistan as well as in third countries--among others, in
Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Georgia, Albania, and the Kyrgyz Republic. They
wait patiently, many of them running through their personal savings,
many unable to work.
We continue to support these individuals, oftentimes maintaining a
delicate dialogue with the host countries about the long-term plans for
these individuals.
I would like to share with you the story of one such individual whose
life hangs in the balance. It is with her permission that I share this
story, and I will call her ``Arezo'' to safeguard her anonymity. Arezo
is a bright young Afghan woman of Hazara heritage who studied at a U.S.
university and later worked for an international human rights NGO. By
all accounts, up until the collapse of Afghanistan, she was one of the
many Afghans working to build a bright future for Afghanistan. When
Kabul fell, like so many others, Arezo shred all the documents tying
her in any way to the United States. She knew that if the Taliban
discovered this connection, both her life and her family's lives could
be at risk.
While attempting to flee, Arezo and her brother were discovered by
the Taliban and taken in for questioning about their reasons for
wanting to leave the country. Arezo's brother was savagely beaten.
Arezo was subjected to a humiliating virginity test. They were both
taken into custody for several weeks, during which they endured brutal
and inhumane treatment, often ridiculed by the Taliban guards for their
Shi'a faith as ``untrue Muslims.''
While incarcerated, Arezo witnessed the brutal rape of a 12-year-old
girl at the hands of the Taliban. The crime of this child? She had been
imprisoned for riding in local transport without a male family member
escort. Miraculously, after external pressure, Arezo was released, but
not without the threat hanging over her head that the Taliban would
keep tabs on her. Arezo now waits for the United States to process her
visa. Hers is one of the over 44,000 cases that remain backlogged,
while her life hangs in the balance.
I tell you this: It is in our direct, immediate interest to dedicate
and reallocate resources to resolve pending cases like those of Arezo.
[[Page S3911]]
Until we resolve their cases, we continue to expend enormous U.S.
resources to support them in third countries, with no clear end in
sight. We continue to ask much of our bilateral partners that have
generously agreed to take in these evacuees. Our Embassies and
government Agencies will continue to struggle with the overload caused
by the burden of managing these extra cases. But most importantly, we
owe it to these individuals who put their own lives on the line for our
county to process their cases quickly.
It is no accident that I chose the name ``Arezo'' as a stand-in for
the young Afghan woman who, like so many others, awaits our action.
Arezo is a Hazara name that means ``hope'' or ``faith.'' And like so
many others, she has taken it on faith that the U.S. Government will
make good on its promise to take care of the Afghans like her that have
served--and continue to serve--U.S. interests and who still believe in
the American dream and still believe that America will fulfill her
promises.
I encourage that at all levels of government, we work to identify
resources to reallocate towards this goal. We have the resources, but
we must redirect these resources and make it a top priority. I call on
our State Department and USCIS colleagues to elevate the task of
processing cases to a high priority status. I propose that we convene
in committee to discuss additional ways that Congress can support the
successful resolution of their cases and permanent resettlement. On the
eve of the 1-year anniversary of an ignominious American withdrawal
from Afghanistan, after a two-decade effort, I urge that across all
lines of government, we recognize this priority and work promptly to
resolve the cases of the many Afghans who have put their lives on the
line for our country.
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