House Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Raise Visa Cap for Afghan Allies by 10K

Landon Mion | August 31, 2021 10:45 PM

Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) introduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday to increase the number of Special Immigrant Visas allowed for Afghan interpreters and vulnerable partners.

The Showing American Values by Evacuating Afghan Partners Act looks to raise the number of Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan allies by 10,000.

"While the U.S. military is no longer present in Afghanistan, our mission there is not over," Meijer said in a press release. "We still have thousands of interpreters and other Afghan partners who put themselves and their loved ones at risk now stranded in Afghanistan, and the chaotic and heartbreaking withdrawal that the world witnessed over the last few weeks shows just how vulnerable they still are."

"By clarifying SIV eligibility requirements and raising the visa cap, we will ensure that our allies are protected and our promises are kept," he continued. "Our credibility and moral standing in the world depend on the completion of this mission."

"For 20 years, our Afghan partners worked with us and fought with us to accomplish our missions in Afghanistan," Crow said. "They did so with the understanding that if they stood with our soldiers, America would be a place where they could seek refuge. The war may be over, but we can’t leave our friends and partners behind."

"America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept," the two lawmakers said ahead of their departure. "Like many veterans, we have spent the last few weeks working without sleep to try to get as many people as we could through the gates and to safety."

In June, Meijer and Crow had introduced legislation to increase the SIV cap for Afghan partners by 8,000 through the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in late July.