Amid the U.S.’s 20-year war against the Taliban, Afghans who feared retribution for aiding U.S. troops were promised refuge in America, as long as they met certain conditions. A deal recently struck in Congress issuing 12,000 more visas for these brave allies is a welcome down payment on that obligation. But the U.S.’s responsibility doesn’t end there.
Afghans who worked with the U.S. military go through a lengthy vetting process in order to receive special immigrant visas granting them and specified family members permanent residence in the U.S. More than 80,000 candidates were in the visa pipeline as of March 1, a quarter of whom had been cleared for final vetting. Before the recent compromise, the program was set to run out of visas by August.
While officials could theoretically have continued judging applications after that and used other tools, such as humanitarian parole, to bring Afghans to America, there would inevitably have been pressure to scale back efforts. Thousands of Afghans could have been left stranded and subject to harassment by the Taliban, or worse.
Such an abdication of responsibility would not only endanger Afghans but also tarnish America’s global standing. The network of allies and partners the U.S. has built up across the globe is a key advantage against rivals such as Russia and China. Yet concerns about U.S. reliability persist — and they will only worsen if Washington reneges on its promises to Afghans. Few armies will be eager to stand alongside the U.S. if they, too, fear abandonment once the fighting stops.
The extra visas offer some relief, and the SIV program has also been extended for two more years. But they still fall far short of the need; last year, the Senate overwhelmingly supported language that would have authorized an additional 20,000 visas and kept the program going until the end of 2029.
Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans evacuated from Kabul after the U.S.’s 2021 withdrawal are living in the U.S. but don’t qualify for SIVs. Congress has repeatedly punted on a deal to create a pathway to legal residency for them.
Both parties in Congress should work to extend the SIV program further and at a minimum authorize additional visas for all those who qualify, as well as to offer a path to green cards for evacuees. The U.S. betrayed its Afghan partners once by leaving their country so ineptly. The least Congress can do is ensure they’re not forgotten.
— The Bloomberg Opinion editorial board
