OPINION:
As more details emerge about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a frightening picture of the crisis becomes clearer. Hundreds of our allies in Afghanistan have been killed, and those still there live in constant fear and have no way to safety.
The recent report from President Biden’s administration and the critical responses from Republicans show it is important to learn from our mistakes. Yet too much time is spent on which party is at fault for the fall of Kabul. 20/20 hindsight may be revealing, but the focus on who is to blame shouldn’t distract us from opportunities to act today. There are still too many Afghan allies stuck in the country who need our help.
Congress and Mr. Biden need to find a path forward that recognizes our current programs don’t do enough to help those who supported our military.
These allies — interpreters, drivers and other support staff who worked with American forces — put their lives at risk to help our country during the war in Afghanistan. Many now face retribution from the Taliban. A 2021 report provided to the U.N. Security Council concluded that only four months after the U.S. withdrew, more than 100 previous government officials and people who worked with our military had already been killed by the Taliban. Aid groups and activists have confirmed more deaths, suggesting that as many as 300 have been killed while waiting in line for their visas to be approved.
As we detail in our new report, our program to repay and protect these brave allies has been plagued with challenges from the start. Despite a congressional requirement for Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, applications to be processed in nine months or less, the process often takes as long as 20 months. This is 20 months that allies spend in hiding and in constant fear for their lives.
The chief problem with the SIV program today is that it is unworkable for our allies still in Afghanistan. Their applications are stuck at the 11th step (of 13) because there is no U.S. Embassy operating in Afghanistan. SIV applicants must be interviewed and fingerprinted, which can be done only in person at an embassy.
This is a serious problem. According to the Association of Wartime Allies, as many as 9 out of 10 applicants were left behind in Afghanistan. Those who are still waiting for their visas face a perilous situation. They can try to get to the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, but for many, the expense and difficulty involved make that impossible.
Luckily, there are reforms on the table for both Congress and Mr. Biden.
In our report, we suggest that Mr. Biden create a special humanitarian parole program for applicants who have been approved by their chief of mission. The central benefit is that it can be done immediately under the parole authority that the president holds. This would allow Afghans whose American supervisors vouch for them to come to the U.S. There they can finish their applications safely.
As others have pointed out, limiting it to those with their chief of mission approval would prevent it from being abused by bad actors. A lawyer and defense policy expert with the Afghan SIV aid organization No One Left Behind pointed out that SIV applicants “have already undergone security vetting and eligibility validation by the Department of State” to get approval from their chief of mission.
In addition, Congress can step up to the plate and make reforms like those in the Afghan Adjustment Act. The bill would create a pathway to permanent status in the U.S. for those already here. For those still in Afghanistan, the bill would allow more to apply for SIV protection and provide further screening measures through the Department of Homeland Security.
The Afghan Adjustment Act was almost passed in December of last year as part of a large spending package. Unfortunately, in the four months since then, there hasn’t been significant progress. The bill has widespread support from veterans associations, the American Legion and bipartisan co-sponsors.
Daniel Elkins, a veteran and co-founder of an advocacy group working on reforms to help Afghans, told The Washington Post that there would have been more Americans killed were it not “for our Afghan allies who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with us.”
Mr. Elkins is right. We cannot let bureaucratic red tape stand in the way of saving the lives of those who put themselves in harm’s way to help us. A humanitarian parole program from Mr. Biden, alongside congressional action, would be a powerful combination that would honor our allies.
While we learn more about the Afghanistan withdrawal’s fallout every day, let’s allow our indignation to fuel an urgency to protect the allies we left behind.
• Josh T. Smith is the immigration research manager for the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University (@smithtjosh). Jared K. Walton is a graduate research fellow at the center.
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