[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 9, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCTION OF THE AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 9, 2022

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Afghan 
Adjustment Act. This legislation would establish a pathway to permanent 
legal status for newly arrived Afghans displaced at the end of the 20-
year U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
  Without this legislation, the tens of thousands of Afghans who were 
admitted to the United States under temporary humanitarian parole, 
including those who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan during 
the past 20 years, face tremendous legal uncertainty. These Afghans can 
only pursue permanent legal status in the United States through the 
asylum system or, for those who are eligible, the Afghan Special 
Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Both paths have substantial backlogs, 
long processing times, and logistical obstacles for these individuals.
  I first became involved in the cause of Afghan allies nearly 15 years 
ago after being contacted by a social studies class from Portland's 
Lincoln High School. Those discussions prompted me to work with former 
Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy to create the Iraqi and Afghan 
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programs. Ever since, I have continued to 
work to strengthen these critical programs and provide a permanent, 
safe outcome for the brave men and women who risked their lives to help 
the United States.
  Congress must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to 
the those who willingly put their lives on the line to support U.S. 
mission in Afghanistan. Following previous wartime evacuations and 
humanitarian crises, including the Vietnam War and the rise of Castro 
in Cuba, Congress has provided a legal adjustment process for those 
evacuated to the United States and should do so once again, without 
delay.
  I look forward to working with my co-leads, Representatives Peter 
Meijer, Jerry Nadler, Adam Kinzinger, Zoe Lofgren, Mariannette Miller-
Meeks, Jason Crow, Fred Upton, and Scott Peters in the House and 
Senators Amy Klobuchar, Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, Roy Blunt, Richard 
Blumenthal, and Lisa Murkowski in the Senate to enact this legislation 
and finally establish a path forward for Afghans admitted to the United 
States on humanitarian status.

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