Afghan allies need Congressional support to protect their permanent relocation to the United?States

American veterans who served in Afghanistan clearly understood how their fellow soldiers, interpreters, and support people helped them in the war on terrorism.

When the U.S. government ended the war on Aug. 30, 2021, many of my friends shared difficult memories of those who served in theater, died, or had injuries.

Through the #digitaldunkirk hashtag, many shared ways to help the 80,000 refugees who came to America. Even now, I’m reading compelling stories on my social media feed.

Two years later, these refugees face serious visa issues in the United States.

The American Legion encourages Legionnaires and their community leaders to support the Afghan Adjustment Act by writing to their Congressional representatives.

As a Legion member, I want to help you understand what the bill means to our Afghani allies.

Congress extended the Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), allowing the 80,000 allies and their families to remain in the United States. The passage of this act would change the “humanitarian parole” that ends this summer for those 80,000 refugees.

“The new Congress has an opportunity to resolve another quagmire that was left unfinished by the previous session,” Jim Troiola, the American Legion national commander, wrote in a letter a month ago.

“We must do better for our Afghan allies who stood with us against the Taliban,” Troiola added in his letter to Legionnaires. “We must create a pathway to permanent residency in the United States. We must pass legislation to secure their freedom in return for their assistance helping our troops.”

Our government, both at the executive and legislative levels, must coordinate the legislative process to protect our allies. Veterans who served in that “sandbox” understand this. It’s time for our government leaders to focus on protecting those gallant Afghani allies who marched alongside them.

Please ask your elected officials to think about walking in the shoes of veterans who served in Afghanistan to finalize a bill protecting their allies living in our nation.