Washington, D.C. (July 12, 2021) – A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies analyzes legislation being considered by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to evacuate and relocate Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) applicants, the program for Afghans who assisted U.S. forces. Fearing a collapse of even nominal law and order after the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Congress is considering H.R. 3385, H.R. 3985, and S 2032 to hasten the completion of pending SIV applications and the adjudication of new applications; to increase the number of SIV slots beyond those already available; and expand the potential pool of applicants by eliminating key criteria required to apply, even though the existing reserve of available SIV numbers is far from exhausted.
 
Well over 70,000 principals and their families have been processed, approved, and admitted to the United States from FY 2010 through May 31, 2021. The pace of issuance has been slow due to operational difficulties in completing adequate medical and security vetting. The vetting has been further complicated by instances of complicity in which Afghans employed by the U.S. have been discovered to have links and loyalties to the Taliban, and who have used their positions and access to report on troop movements, vulnerabilities, etc. In some years, “green-on-blue” attacks inflicted on U.S. and NATO troops by our ostensible allies in the Afghan army and police forces constituted a significant proportion of the total of dead and wounded.
 
Congress has recognized the difficulties in vetting and approving applicants in its many amendments to the laws providing for Afghan SIVs. The pending Senate and House bills, however, would eliminate several of the important safeguards built into the law over the years. For example:

• Applicants would no longer have to show that they performed “sensitive and trusted” work to qualify;
• Applicants would no longer have to show that they are at risk if they stay in Afghanistan;
• The number of visas available would nearly double, despite the exceedingly short period of time remaining for a robust presence in the country;
• The need for applicants to have a medical screening for contagious diseases before approval and entry would be eliminated.

 
Dan Cadman, a CIS fellow and author of the report, said, “The United States does indeed owe a debt of thanks and a helping hand in relocation of legitimate SIV applicants. But these bills presently pending before Congress do not strike the right balance between expeditious processing sufficient to meet the looming 9/11/21 withdrawal deadline, while simultaneously ensuring the security and public health safety of American citizens.”