[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13543-13544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0915
                     SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, in less than 3 weeks, the Special 
Immigrant Visa program expires. This is something we created to help 
bring people who served Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan as 
interpreters, guides, drivers, people who helped our soldiers, who put 
their lives at risk, to be able to escape to safety. Unfortunately 
there are people with long memories who are there seeking revenge 
against those who have helped us.
  But sadly, this project has been hampered by what can only be 
charitably described as ``bureaucratic ineptitude.'' The State 
Department can't even tell us how many thousands of people are in the 
backlog. Chairman Rogers just this week told me that an interpreter

[[Page 13544]]

for one of his heroes is trying to seek refuge in the United States.
  The program will expire September 30. If we can't help the State 
Department fix it, we can at least extend it in the continuing 
resolution so that we've got a chance for these people who gave so much 
for Americans to be able to get the refuge that they deserve.

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