WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor this morning to highlight families that would benefit from the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act and press for the bill’s inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Mr. President, just about two years ago, roughly 76,000 Afghans – those who served alongside American forces during two decades of conflict – and their families, were evacuated here to the United States on military planes and given two years of humanitarian parole. The Biden administration worked to extend that parole, but we have to ask ourselves: to what end?” said Senator Coons.
He continued, “These are our allies. Those who served and fought alongside our troops. Those who supported our mission and our engagement in Afghanistan, and who worked in an incredible array of jobs: interpreters, medics, security guards, mechanics, intelligence officers, journalists, bomb technicians, and pilots, and I know that today one family in Newark, Delaware, is waiting urgently to hear that we have taken up and passed this amendment to the [National] Defense Authorization Act.”
In July, Senator Coons reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow Afghans who sought refuge in the United States due to the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops to apply for permanent legal residency after undergoing additional vetting processes by the U.S. government. The Afghan Adjustment Act is modeled after bipartisan bills that Congress has passed in the wake of other humanitarian crises and the Vietnam War. Currently, Afghans who were admitted on temporary humanitarian status can only gain permanent legal status through the asylum system or Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, which face severe backlogs and long processing times. Allowing Afghan allies to apply for permanent legal residency will help provide certainty as they build their lives in the United States.
Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below.
“Mr. President, just about two years ago, roughly 76,000 Afghans – those who served alongside American forces during two decades of conflict – and their families, were evacuated here to the United States on military planes and given two years of humanitarian parole. The Biden administration worked to extend that parole, but we have to ask ourselves: to what end?
“These are our allies. Those who served and fought alongside our troops. Those who supported our mission and our engagement in Afghanistan, and who worked in an incredible array of jobs: interpreters, medics, security guards, mechanics, intelligence officers, journalists, bomb technicians, and pilots. I know that today one family in Newark, Delaware, is waiting urgently to hear that we have taken up and passed this amendment to the [National] Defense Authorization Act.
“The head of household served as a bomb technician, as an EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] specialist in the Afghan forces, and I had a chance to have the blessing of meeting the mother of a Delaware soldier whose life he saved. I have heard over and over from our veterans, from our veterans’ families, from Afghans, from their families, that we have to pass this bill so that they have certainty, so that the strengths and talents they’ve brought to our country, they can use to put down roots and to have a foundation on which to build a family in peace in our nation.
“An interpreter, an Afghan interpreter now living in North Carolina, has said, ‘Permanent residency is linked to everything. What will happen to my family if our status fails? How will I provide for my family in this new country?’ Another interpreter, living now in Nebraska, describes their current situation as being ‘trapped’ – trapped as if ‘in prison.’ This uncertainty – this lack of clear status – harms the ability of our Afghan partners and friends to advance their careers, to put down roots, to start their new lives here in America with confidence. This uncertainty must end.
“These are folks who believe in the promise of America and who came here confident we would keep our word. On my phone, I was just looking a moment ago at a family celebration that I joined with Sher and Shkira in Newark, Delaware. I don’t want to give more details on them, other than to say that I remember that they and their children are waiting and watching to see what we will do here in the Senate.
“I want to thank my colleagues: Senators [Amy] Klobuchar [D-Minn.], and [Jerry] Moran [R-Kan.], and [Richard] Blumenthal [D-Conn.], and many others. Senators [Lindsey] Graham [R-S.C.], and [Jeanne] Shaheen [D-N.H.], [Lisa] Murkowski [R-Alaska], [Dick] Durbin [D-Ill.], [Roger] Wicker [R-Miss.], and [Thom] Tillis [R-N.C.], who have been cosponsors of this bill from the last Congress.
“It also has support: support from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Blue Star Families, the American Legion, and many other veteran groups. Some of the most prominent leaders in the military, [retired Navy Admiral] Mike Mullen, [retired Army General] Stan McChrystal, [retired Navy Admiral] William McRaven – forgive me for skipping their titles and ranks – but some of the most respected leaders in our military have endorsed this legislation.
“If you are worried, as some colleagues have said, that the folks brought here by the American military were not thoroughly vetted – this is the way to address it. It requires in-person interviews, oversight, consultations that will ensure that everyone currently here comes back in for one more in-person interview, vetting, and clearing. It also expands the opportunities for SIV visas for Afghan combatants and helps those still stuck in a hell outside our country that would allow families to be reunited.
“At the end of the day, I just have to thank two people and make one plea. I have to thank the family in Delaware who continues to inspire me and push me to support Senator Klobuchar in her tireless work to get this bill the vote it deserves. I want to thank my colleague, Senator Klobuchar, for hearing the voices of American veterans, for hearing the voices of Afghans now in our country who deserve legal status, and I join her in demanding a vote on this amendment in the [National] Defense Authorization Act.”