The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State recently announced a collaborative effort to guarantee protections and other immigration privileges for Afghans who have assisted U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
These efforts will also guarantee those who fought against the Taliban or lived under their control are not denied entrance due to the broad application of terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds in U.S. immigration law, according to a June 14 news release.
“Doctors, teachers, engineers and other Afghans, including those who bravely and loyally supported U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan at great risk to their safety, should not be denied humanitarian protection and other immigration benefits due to their inescapable proximity to war or their work as civil servants,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in the release.
Those who served as government employees between Sept. 27, 1996, and Dec. 22, 2001, or after Aug. 15, 2021, are also eligible for these new exemptions, according to the release.
“These exemptions will allow eligible individuals who pose no national security or public safety risk to receive asylum, refugee status or another legal immigration status, demonstrating the United States’ continued commitment to our Afghan allies and their family members,” Mayorkas added, according to the release.
The release reported only Afghans who have passed thorough screening and vetting are eligible.
"We remain committed to our Afghan allies and processing Special Immigrant Visa applications as expeditiously as possible, while always protecting our national security," Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in the release. "We are working closely with our interagency partners to do so, and today's announcement is an important step forward in that endeavor.”
More than 79,000 Afghans have been successfully welcomed by the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, a program that provides them with work permits, immigration benefits as well as other assistance as they transition.
