Bill seeks to aid Afghan allies

Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) recently joined a group of House colleagues in introducing the Afghan Allies Protection Act, which officials said demonstrates support for the thousands Afghan and Iraqi allies.

Since 2002, the government has employed thousands of Afghan and Iraqi allies to serve alongside American troops, diplomats and other government employees, adding the allies and their families have become the targets of anti-American persecution and violence.

Congress created the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program to provide safety for Afghans and Iraqis whose work with and allegiance to the American government exposed them to direct threats, jeopardizing their safety and that of their loved ones.

“Our local Afghan and Iraqi partners have done critical work to assist U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Hurd, who served alongside American forces in Afghanistan as an undercover CIA officer, said. “They have had our back, and we must continue to have theirs. I am proud to join my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan bill that protects these allies by ensuring that the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program continues to provide pathways to safety for those working in allegiance with the U.S.”

An effort is underway to amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to make 4,000 visas available for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program and for other purposes.

In recent years, the SIV applicant backlog has continued to grow while Congress has struggled to provide enough visas to bring U.S. allies to safety in the United States, Hurd said.