Updated July 17, 2023: The Afghan Adjustment Act was once again introduced in the Senate by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) last week. Two years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Congress STILL has not passed the legislation that would give Afghan refugees the protection we promised.
As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the U.S. military evacuated more than 123,000 people – including tens of thousands of Afghan allies, refugees, parolees, and their families. More than 70,000 came to the United States immediately, and are in the process of resettlement here. Tens of thousands remain on military bases and other locations outside the United States, as do many other Afghans who have fled since last August.
Evacuees still face uncertainty: many of the Afghans brought to the United States have been given humanitarian parole status, which only grants temporary permission to enter and remain in the U.S. for two years. For many current and nearly all future Afghan evacuees, temporary status under humanitarian parole is the only viable option to initially enter the U.S. But ultimately, parole leaves our Afghan partners without any real way of securing permanent status in the U.S.
Call your Senators. Call your Congressional Representative. Tell them that Congress should immediately pass an Afghan Adjustment Act that would allow Afghan evacuees parolees an opportunity to seek lawful permanent resident status.
Passing legislation that would protect these evacuees is critical because obtaining asylum may be difficult or out of reach for many of them. Given existing backlogs in the asylum system, as well as the fact that many Afghans were advised to destroy needed documents associating them to the U.S. mission to evade the Taliban, many deserving evacuees will find it difficult to obtain asylum expeditiously. With an asylum backlog stretching years, and options limited for those who may not qualify, Congress must act to resolve the long-term status of these people and provide them an expedited pathway to lawful permanent residence. Without it, these individuals face potentially being forced to return to Afghanistan, waiting years for asylum, removal proceedings, and even deportation.
Call your Senators. Call your Congressional Representative. Tell them that Congress should immediately pass an Afghan Adjustment Act that would allow Afghan evacuees parolees an opportunity to seek lawful permanent resident status.
There is historical precedent for passing legislation like this – in 1966, the Cuban Adjustment Act granted Cubans in the U.S. with work authorization and lawful permanent residency, and several different Acts over many years that granted adjustment status to individuals from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia after the Vietnam War.
Call your Senators. Call your Congressional Representative. Tell them that Congress should immediately pass an Afghan Adjustment Act that would allow Afghan evacuees parolees an opportunity to seek lawful permanent resident status.
Suggested message:
“I urge you to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act, legislation that would allow Afghans arriving with humanitarian parole who were evacuated from Afghanistan to have a pathway to permanent status. Creating a pathway to apply to become lawful permanent residents after one year in the U.S. strengthens our communities and supports arrivals’ integration in their new homes.”
Want more information? Here’s a fact sheet on the Afghan Adjustment Act.