A bipartisan group of US Senators has called on the US Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide a pathway to legal status for Afghans who have supported the US efforts in Afghanistan over the past two decades.
During a Senate session on Wednesday, the US Senators argue that the Afghan Adjustment Act is essential to US national security and to honor the commitments that the United States made to its allies in Afghanistan. They also say that the act would send a strong message to the world that the US is a reliable partner that keeps its promises.
“We have had two years to show whether or not we are going to stand with those that stood with us,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “No action is not an option,” she stressed.
Senator Jerry Moran, a Republican co-sponsor of the Afghan Adjustment Act, said that the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan was one of the saddest days of his time in the Senate. He said that many Afghans who had helped the US missions in Afghanistan were left behind in uncertainty and that the Afghan Adjustment Act would help to give them a sense of security and certainty.
“We need to keep our promises,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal. “And if we want to count on those kinds of allies, all around the world, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq and that part of the world, but in Africa, in South America, we need to keep our promises,” he emphasized.
“Afghan allies who put their lives on the line and now have targets on their backs if they ever were to return. Bad enough many of those allies are still in Afghanistan and at risk of torture and murder, but we need to keep faith with Afghan refugees who have come to this country,” Senator Blumenthal added.
Senator Blumenthal further stated that Afghan refugees who have come to the United States are flourishing here. They are contributing to their communities, holding jobs that matter, learning the English language, and sharing their rich cultural heritage with the American people. These refugees are enriching the United States, and we need to keep them here.
The Afghan Adjustment Act would provide a pathway to permanent residency for citizens of Afghanistan who have been paroled into the United States after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Act would allow eligible Afghans to apply for permanent status after one or two years of US residence.
The Afghan Adjustment Act was introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar in August 2022, The Act was co-sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham, Roy Blunt, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, and Lisa Murkowski.
