Rep. Moulton urges Trump administration to protect Afghan translators

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) recently urged the Trump administration to protect the lives of the Afghan translators who worked with the U.S. or the Taliban will kill them. Moulton’s warning comes as the administration is negotiating a potential peace deal with the Taliban.

There are nearly 20,000 Afghans who are affected by the Special Immigrant Visa program’s backlog.

“Regardless of whatever peace agreement they (the administration) negotiate with the Taliban, we know better than to trust the Taliban to keep our translators safe,” Moulton said. “It’s up to us to ensure their safety after they risked their lives, not just for Afghanistan, but for America. Further, the State Department must expedite Special Immigrant Visa processing; the process is moving too slowly because of the president’s war on immigrants, and it will move even slower if the size of the State Department’s mission is reduced after a peace deal—which is backwards. We should be increasing our diplomatic presence if we withdraw troops. Congress must expand the number of visas the United States will provide now so these brave men and women are guaranteed the safety that’s only found within our borders.”

Approximately 3,500 visa applicants were included in the Fiscal Year 2019 Omnibus Spending bill.