Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Senator Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), today introduced legislation to provide support for Afghan nationals who helped American forces in Afghanistan. The Ensuring American Security and Protect Afghan Allies Act provides a path to permanent citizenship for Afghans who evacuated to America during President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. The bill also ensures American security by implementing a better evacuee vetting system, and better protects our Afghan allies by improving the process for referring our allies for priority refugee status.
“President Biden’s ill-planned withdrawal from Afghanistan had disastrous consequences and put Afghan allies who had helped American forces in grave danger. This legislation will allow those who made it to the United States to begin new lives and secure their long-term stability,” said Senator Cotton.
“It is imperative that America assist those Afghans who supported our country and that fled the oppressive regime of the Taliban. We must let the world know that we do not abandon those who aid America. This bill works toward that goal while ensuring strong vetting to protect America’s own security,” said Senator Graham.
“I’ve heard from countless North Carolina veterans who are forever indebted to the brave Afghans who risked their own lives to protect them and advance our common mission in Afghanistan. We owe it to our Afghan allies to provide them with a fair and efficient refugee process that recognizes the sacrifices they made alongside America’s finest,” said Senator Tillis.
“The Biden Administration’s disastrous departure from Afghanistan caused a chaotic migration from the region, and our government repeatedly failed to thoroughly evaluate evacuees arriving in the United States. This bill restores order to the system by ensuring Afghan evacuees are able to assimilate while preserving American security and better supporting those who provided direct support to the United States military,” said Senator Grassley.
Bill text may be found here.
The Ensuring American Security and Protect Afghan Allies Act would:
Protect national security by setting up a better system to rigorously screen Afghan evacuees who are already in the United States, while providing affected Afghans with a four-year, conditional resident status that allows them to assimilate and began new lives in the United States while they are being vetted.
Set up a more efficient and secure process at the Department of Defense for military servicemen and veterans to refer for priority refugee status America’s Afghan partners who are still outside of the United States.
Help prevent future threats by reigning in the administration’s abuse of the parole system to bring unvetted individuals into the country.