[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 505 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 505
Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the
Taliban's assault on human rights, and calling for the Federal
Government to protect the Afghan citizens who bravely served alongside
the Armed Forces of the United States by providing adequate resources
for the special immigrant visa program established under the Afghan
Allies Protection Act of 2009.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 28, 2021
Mr. Keating (for himself, Ms. Jacobs of California, Mr. Auchincloss,
Mr. Vargas, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Luria, Ms. Titus, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Crow,
Ms. Houlahan, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Bera, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Gallego, Mr.
Sires, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Courtney)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the people of Afghanistan, condemning the
Taliban's assault on human rights, and calling for the Federal
Government to protect the Afghan citizens who bravely served alongside
the Armed Forces of the United States by providing adequate resources
for the special immigrant visa program established under the Afghan
Allies Protection Act of 2009.
Whereas the House of Representatives must maintain the integrity of the United
States by reaffirming the commitment of our Nation to the brave Afghan
citizens who stood by the side of the Armed Forces of the United States
in Afghanistan at great personal risk;
Whereas the mission of the United States in Afghanistan has been supported by
thousands of brave Afghan citizens who have worked as interpreters,
translators, and contractors, among other important roles, and have
risked their lives, and those of their families, to facilitate the
security operations of the United States and our partners;
Whereas the Taliban and Islamic State both view these Afghan citizens as
traitors, whose involvement with United States forces should be punished
by death, and have followed through on their threats with executions of
locals who helped, and protected the lives of, United States personnel
deployed to Afghanistan;
Whereas, since 2018, over 300 Afghan interpreters have been murdered by the
Taliban for their support of the Armed Forces of the United States;
Whereas the willingness of these individuals to accept difficult and dangerous
work was informed by the prospect of qualifying for lawful permanent
residence in the United States under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of
2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) should they or their family members experience
a serious threat as a consequence of their employment;
Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260)
authorized 4,000 additional special immigrant visas for Afghan principal
aliens, for a total of 26,500 visas allocated since December 19, 2014;
Whereas the authority to issue special immigrant visas to Afghan nationals under
section 602(b) of the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C.
1101 note) will continue until all visa numbers allocated under that Act
are issued;
Whereas, despite an authorized cap of 26,500 special immigrant visas, only about
16,000 visas have been issued since the program began;
Whereas just 237 visa applications were granted in the last 3 months of 2020,
plus 1,084 more for family members;
Whereas the current special immigrant visa program does not allow for family
members of a primary applicant to continue with the process if the
primary applicant dies before filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services;
Whereas there are roughly 18,000 total applications pending, with about 15,000
of those still at the early stages of the process--including roughly
5,000 of those waiting for initial action by the United States mission
in Afghanistan and Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs--to
determine whether the applications can proceed;
Whereas approximately 19,000 courageous individuals, and an unknown number of
their family members, are still awaiting their special immigrant visa as
the United States continues its path for withdrawal;
Whereas it could take upward of 2 years for the Department of State to complete
its processing of the current pool, assuming that applicant numbers and
processing rates remain static, although numbers are expected to rise as
the United States military withdraws by September 2021;
Whereas Congress has authorized only 4,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan
principal aliens for 2021 and, given the delays associated with
utilizing previous years' visa authorizations, it is unlikely to clear
the backlog of applicants by the September 2021 withdrawal deadline;
Whereas, on April 14, 2021, President Biden announced that the United States
would begin withdrawing its military forces from Afghanistan on May 1,
2021, with the goal of completing the military withdrawal by September
2021, heralding a possible end to the nearly 2-decade United States
military presence;
Whereas, even if all available visas are used, many of special immigrant visa
applicants and their families--and more who are likely to apply in the
coming months--will remain in Afghanistan following the United States
military withdrawal;
Whereas, without significant action by the administration to clear the visa
backlog, our former partners and their families could potentially be
persecuted once the United States military withdraws from Afghanistan;
Whereas, if the United States fails to adequately protect its partners when it
withdraws from the Afghanistan conflict, future partners could be less
willing to cooperate with the United States military, undermining
national security interests;
Whereas bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have
pressed the Biden Administration to expedite processing for the special
immigrant visa program and pledged to start a working group to
coordinate White House engagement;
Whereas bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have
urged the Biden Administration to plan for, and, if required, organize,
an emergency evacuation of Afghan partners before the United States
military drawdown, if the visa backlog could not be resolved in time;
and
Whereas the United States and its allies and partners must stand together with
our Afghan partners and provide safe haven from Taliban retribution:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the sacrifices and bravery of the Afghan
people in their struggle for democracy, rule of law, and
respect for human rights while enduring decades-long conflict
and oppression by the Taliban;
(2) condemns the continued human rights violations
committed by the Taliban against women, civil society
activists, opposition leaders, students, educators, medical
personnel, and journalists, among others, and calls for the
group to halt any further acts of violence against its own
citizens;
(3) recognizes the danger that many formerly United States-
employed Afghan partners and their families face should the
Taliban regain control of Afghanistan;
(4) understands that the United States has a moral
obligation and a national security interest in fulfilling its
promises to those who have risked their lives to support our
mission in Afghanistan;
(5) calls for Congress to increase by 8,000 the visa
allocation for the special immigrant visa program established
under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101
note) and allocate funding that cover the costs of each special
immigrant visa under such Act;
(6) urges the Secretary of State, in coordination with
other relevant agencies as needed, to expedite processing of
the thousands of applications submitted under such Act that are
awaiting further processing by the Bureau of Consular Affairs
following the results of interagency security vetting;
(7) calls on the Secretary of State to press the Department
of Defense to improve its contributions to the special
immigrant visa process under such Act and dedicate increased
resources to special immigrant visa employment verification,
another significant contributor to delays in processing under
such Act;
(8) calls on the Secretary of State to utilize other
applicable visa categories and sufficiently support refugee
screening that will be vital to help Afghans who face a well-
founded fear of persecution because of their affiliation with
the United States and our allies and partners;
(9) calls on the Secretary of State to modify the special
immigrant visa system to allow family members of a primary
applicant to continue the application process even if the
primary applicant dies before filing a petition with U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, if Chief of Mission
approval has been obtained;
(10) urges the United States Government to conduct prudent
planning for the possible evacuation of Afghan partners and
their families if the security situation in Afghanistan
continues to deteriorate and the Taliban assume control of the
Government;
(11) urges the United States Government to work with our
allies and partners in taking all available measures to prevent
a resurgence of increased violence against defenders of human
rights in Afghanistan, especially against those that defend the
rights of women and girls, hold political office, are involved
in the peace processes, or are otherwise in the public eye;
(12) continues to support the meaningful participation of
women in all aspects of peace processes; and
(13) calls on the United States Government to develop a
strategy for post-conflict engagement in Afghanistan that
supports defenders of human rights, especially those that
defend the rights of women and girls, and the aspirations of
the people of Afghanistan for a democratic future based on
human rights, transparency, and the rule of law.
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