Frankie Cordeira Jr.

Description: Spending Bill Includes 2500 More Visas for Afghans... WASHINGTON -- After the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in Marchfroze the interview process for Afghans who had supported U.S. forcesdue to a lack of visas a bipartisan effort secured 2500 more visas in the compromise spending bill up for consideration this week. The special immigrant visa (SIV) program was established in 2008 to allow Afghans who had helped the coalition as interpreters to find safe haven in the U.S. The visa criteria were laterexpanded to Afghans who provided "at least one year of faithful and valuable service" in support of U.S. government operations. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) an original advocate and architect of the SIV program and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) a Air Forcepilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan had urged congressional appropriators to include the same level of visas in the omnibus as were includedin their legislation theKeeping Our Promise to Our Afghan Allies Act introduced in March. We need to bring our faithful allies to safety faster and more effectively and today is a major step forward in support of that effort Blumenauer said in a statement today. We are going to continue fighting to keep this program alive no matter the hurdle. This is the bare minimum we can do for those who risked their lives and the lives of their families to help our country. Kinzinger noted that the U.S. "made a promise to the men and women who served alongside us on the battlefield and we must uphold that promise to leave no man behind." "Im glad to see the increased number of visas included in the budget" he added. "A good step in the right direction to show our support for those allies who have risked their lives to advance the cause of freedom and protect the United States." The SIV backers in the Senate said not approving the extra visas would send a poor message to U.S. allies and put lives at risk. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) recalled how Gen. John Nicholson commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan recently told his committeethat the war in Afghanistan is in a stalemate. "We simply cannot win this war without the assistance of the Afghan people who put their lives on the line to help American troops and diplomats" McCain said. "While this is an important development it is critical that Congress regularly authorizes visas and appropriates the funding needed to ensure the continuation of this vital program for both Afghan and Iraqi interpreters." "Doing so will send a clear message that America will uphold our commitment to those who at great personal risk stand with us in the fight against terror. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) called the inclusion of the visas in the government spending bill "potentially a life-saving development."
By Frankie Cordeira Jr.
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