ILAP Welcomes Bipartisan Introduction of Afghan Adjustment Act: Swift Passage Is Critical To Safeguarding Afghan Evacuees and Honoring America’s Promise to Our Allies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 9, 2022
CONTACT: Mary Erin Casale, mcasale@bernsteinshur.com
PORTLAND, ME – The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) welcomes news of the bipartisan introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives that would allow Afghans who fled the Taliban and were evacuated to the United States to apply to become lawful permanent residents.
The announcement comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the beginning of ongoing, Herculean efforts from Afghan Americans, veterans, members of Congress, and others in the United States to save the lives of Afghan allies and their families who served to support the U.S. mission over 20 years of war.
More than 70,000 Afghans who were evacuated by the U.S. military were admitted to the U.S. as “humanitarian parolees,” a temporary status that does not confer lasting protection or a pathway to permanent U.S. residence. The Afghan Adjustment Act would create a clear process for these Afghan parolees to attain lawful permanent resident status and secure their futures here in the United States.
Over the last year, ILAP has been working to coordinate legal services and provide other assistance to the hundreds of Afghan evacuees resettled in Maine, as well as collaborating with state and national groups on advocacy efforts.
Catherine Lindgren, ILAP’s Afghanistan Project Attorney issued the following statement:
“The Afghan Adjustment Act is urgently-needed legislation that honors America’s promise to Afghan parolees who have sacrificed and lost so much in the wake of the fall of Afghanistan. Those evacuated to the U.S. include allies who fought alongside and protected U.S. troops, Afghans who worked as contractors to serve the U.S. mission, and others who faced persecution due to their ties to the United States. Tens of thousands of Afghans are stuck in legal limbo, feeling unwelcome in the U.S., and unable to restart their lives here. Swift passage of this bill will show our Afghan allies they were right to believe in America’s ideals and promises, and it will help our veterans whose fight to achieve a durable solution for their Afghan friends and allies did not end with the U.S. withdrawal. We call on Maine’s full Congressional delegation to support the Afghan Adjustment Act as we work to meet our moral obligation and honor our country’s commitments to our Afghan allies and our veterans.”
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