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Afghan Allies still seek safety and stability.
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Dear LIRS Supporter,
In August, the U.S. evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans from Kabul and now, over 70,000 Afghans who were vetted and brought to the U.S. need a pathway to lasting safety.
Those Afghans fleeing the Taliban who were able to get to the U.S. were granted temporary humanitarian parole for either one or two years and parole does not allow them to access lawful permanent residency or a "green card." In order to stay in the U.S., these Afghans will have to pursue other legal options before their humanitarian parole runs out (as soon as this summer).
For many of our new Afghan neighbors, this means applying for asylum, an arduous process that, tragically, will not guarantee all of them lasting safety and that has an astounding application backlog with some applicants waiting seven or more years for their cases to be decided. To apply for asylum, Afghans will have to provide evidence that they faced violence in their home country. However, many were advised to destroy documents relevant to their vulnerability or U.S. affiliation in order to escape the Taliban nation-wide network of checkpoints during the evacuation!
It’s unconscionable to leave Afghans, many just children, without a clear path to safety and stability. That’s why we must urge Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. >>> Add your voice here >>>
This critical legislation will allow our new Afghan neighbors to apply for lawful permanent residence as if they’d been admitted in the U.S. resettlement or Special Immigration Visa program. Congress has passed adjustment acts for every other generation of wartime evacuees following U.S. military engagement including for 130,000 Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians after the fall of Saigon. If Congress doesn’t pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, it will be unprecedented! Evacuees following the U.S.’ longest military engagement deserve the same protections we’ve provided to those in the past.
It’s our moral obligation to protect our Afghan friends, who we brought to safety. Their lives shouldn’t be left in limbo. They deserve a legal pathway to more lasting protections here and not face the threat of deportation. That’s why Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act to allow our new Afghan neighbors to seek lawful permanent residence in the U.S.
Thank you for adding your voice in support of our Afghan neighbors today.
In solidarity,
Susannah Cunningham
Manager for Advocacy |
State Disclosures
700 Light Street · Baltimore, Maryland 21230 · Phone: (410) 230-2700 · Fax: (410) 230-2890
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