Ranking Member ADAM SMITH. and their staff. the work on the National Defense Authorization Act. which will help us uphold commitments to our Afghan allies. However. all of us in Congress have a responsibility. and there is an opportunity for all of us to step up and help this desperate situation. Over the last 7 years. it has been a battle to have America honor its obligations by effectively implementing this Special Immigrant Visa program authorized by Congress to help those who helped us to escape. We are seeing the results of many on this floor who encourage the State Department to more aggressively implement this Special Immigration Visa program. The Afghan program went from an embarrassing 32 visas for all of 2012 to an average of 400 each month this year. This is due to enhanced oversight and pressure and cooperation from Congress. The program is now functioning at a level that almost allows us to keep our promises to our allies. One thing we all can do is to join me and my colleague. ADAM KINZINGER. who has been a tireless champion for justice for these Afghan and Iraqi nationals. in directing a letter to our friends on the Appropriations Committee asking that they. like last year. authorize urgently needed Afghan SIVs in the endoftheyear appropriations package that we will soon have here on the floor. We have stepped up before. but we need to avoid this Special Immigrant Visa roulette so that these people are not in limbo. or. worse. resigned to the hell inflicted on them by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Even with the leadership of the Armed Services Committee. we will still fall short of upholding our commitments for a need as great as 9.000 visas for Afghanistan alone. That is why our appropriators must help shoulder the responsibility. and they need to hear from us. every Member of Congress. It is our moral obligation to take action to protect. not just those people. but the security interests of the United States.
Keywords matched
Visa Immigrant Immigration visas