A year after it abandoned Afghanistan, US introduces bill to give thousands of Afghans path to citizenship

A bipartisan bill has been submitted in both houses of the US Congress, a year after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban to seize power and sparking a catastrophic refugee crisis. With the passage of this Act, thousands of Afghan evacuees who were previously granted temporary immigration status will now have a clear road to citizenship. Similar versions of the legislation were introduced only days before the first anniversary of the disorderly evacuation operation that ended America's longest war, saw the Taliban take over Kabul and the last US troops leave the country.

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According to Reuters, the bill would also extend eligibility for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) to Afghan women who served in special counterterrorism teams as well as commandos and air force personnel who fought with US forces.

Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer and Republican Representative Peter Meijer, who are co-sponsors of the House legislation, said in a statement, "We must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to those who willingly put their lives on the line to support the USmission in Afghanistan."

A large portion of the 76,000 Afghans who were evacuated from their home country last year arrived in the country under humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status that usually only lasts up to two years.

Pending additional background checks, the proposal would enable those evacuees to make an application for permanent legal status.

Typically, these Afghans can only obtain long-term legal status in the US by submitting an application for asylum or through the severely backlogged SIV programmes.

The Afghanistan Adjustment Act's chances of passing were increased when three minority Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, joined three majority Democrats in introducing an identical version of the bill in the Senate's thinly divided senate.However, a congressional aide who spoke to Reuterson the condition of anonymity said the legislation will probably encounter "resistance" from a few anti-immigration Republicans.

(With inputs from agencies)

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