Human Rights First Urges Support for Afghan Allies In FY2022 Continuing Resolution

Washington — As Congress considers a Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 2022, Human Rights First today joined veteran, human rights, and refugee organizations in urging Congress to meet the country’s obligations to wartime allies in the temporary funding bill.

A letter signed by over two dozen veteran service groups to House and Senate leadership called on Congress to ensure that support for Afghan allies is adequately funded. Over 170 national, state and local organizations signed a subsequent letter to Congressional leaders that made the same recommendations.

“Veterans served shoulder to shoulder with our Afghans allies for years; now the veterans’ community is ready to welcome them into our communities,” said Chris Purdy, Director of Veterans for American Ideals. “Over the past month, veterans across the country have supported Afghans in their efforts to flee Taliban persecution. Congress must help by providing the resources and structure to ensure that our allies quickly become our neighbors.”

In their letter, the veterans’ organizations wrote: “We are urging you to ensure that our Afghan sisters and brothers seeking safety in the United States receive resettlement and integration services and have the chance to apply for legal permanent residence — and to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to provide these services. Most of our new Afghan neighbors enter the United States with humanitarian parole, which is temporary immigration relief and does not make them automatically eligible for refugee resettlement services. Refugee resettlement services are critical to ensuring that these Afghans quickly become self-reliant and integrate into American society.”

The letters included these recommendations:

• Authorize Afghans arriving on humanitarian parole to receive refugee resettlement Services
• Appropriate supplemental funding to serve Afghan arrivals
• Pass an Afghan Adjustment Act

The House is expected to vote Monday on the Continuing Resolution and a Senate vote is expected soon after that.