Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced on Monday that the state is prepared to receive at least 180 more Afghan interpreters who’ve helped U.S. efforts overseas in the past 20 years.
In a video and press release published on Monday, Hogan made the announcement and explained that Maryland currently ranks No.4 in the country for “Special Immigrant Visa” (SIV) arrivals, the type of visa that Afghan nationals who assisted with translation, transportation, or other essential services would receive to stay in the United States.
“The chaotic and heartbreaking scenes out of Afghanistan over the last several days – with innocent civilians running for their lives in fear of the Taliban – is the result of a rushed and irresponsible withdrawal,” Hogan said in the video. “Many of these Afghan citizens – our allies – bravely risked their lives to provide invaluable support for many years to our efforts as interpreters and support staff, and we have a moral obligation to help them.”
Through the program “Operation Allies Refuge,” Afghan nationals can receive an SIV and resettle through the Maryland Office of Refugees and Asylees (MORA), a division of the Department of Human Services (DHS). To date, this process has helped over 40,000 refugees resettle in the state.
“For their service, these allies, their immediate families are eligible to receive special immigrant visas to the United States,” Hogan said in the video. “Maryland receives more of these SIV’s than nearly any other state, and we stand ready and willing to do even more. It is the least we can do."
Watch the Gov. Hogan’s announcement below.