[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14848]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IRAQI SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I am proud that the Senate unanimously 
passed legislation late last night to extend the Iraqi Special 
Immigrant Visa--SIV--Program. This program offers nothing short of a 
lifeline for the Iraqi men and women who risked everything supporting 
the U.S.' mission in Iraq. Despite the fact that there are thousands of 
Iraqis still waiting for their paperwork to be processed, the program 
expired last night, and we must take immediate action to renew it. 
Given all that is on the line, I am hopeful that even in this difficult 
political climate, the House of Representatives will take up and 
swiftly pass this bill and we can send it to President Obama for his 
signature later today.
  Congress created the Iraqi SIV Program in 2008 to allow some of the 
tens of thousands of Iraqis who served alongside U.S. troops the 
opportunity to seek safety and a new beginning in the United States. 
They were our translators and our guides. They were a critical resource 
to our troops, helping them navigate complex cultural, political, and 
geographic terrain. They literally risked their lives for us. Now, 5 
years after the original legislation passed, less than 6,000 of the 
25,000 available visas have been distributed, leaving many well-
deserving Iraqi allies in danger and American credibility on the line.
  As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on State Department and Foreign 
Operations, I worked hard to see that a reauthorization for the Iraqi 
SIV Program is in the National Defense Authorization Act. 
Unfortunately, that reauthorization will not pass in time to renew this 
vital program. We also made significant efforts to include that 
extension in the continuing resolution passed by the Senate last week, 
but a congressional stalemate has eroded that path. The only option 
that remains is for the House to take up and pass the bipartisan stand-
alone bill immediately.
  I am hopeful that we can do just that. I have joined with Members 
from both sides of the aisle in the Senate, including Senators Shaheen, 
McCain, Grassley, and Graham, as well Members in the House, to resolve 
any concerns. We have compromised on the length of the extension and 
have covered any costs associated with it. Passage should be quick and 
straightforward. Lives are on the line. Our word is on the line, and it 
is time to act.
  Among the many lessons of the Vietnam war is that we must not abandon 
those who risked their lives to help us. We made a commitment, and we 
must honor it. We must renew this critical program.

                          ____________________