US Senator Presses For Action On Afghan Allies Bill
US Senator Amy Klobuchar has called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would grant permanent residency to Afghans who worked alongside American forces, many of them as interpreters.
US Senator Amy Klobuchar has called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would grant permanent residency to Afghans who worked alongside American forces, many of them as interpreters.
Klobuchar is among nine senators backing the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act, introduced earlier this month after reports that some evacuees were facing possible deportation. Immigration officials have begun detaining Afghan refugees brought to the United States after the 2021 withdrawal whose asylum claims remain unresolved.
“We must stand by the Afghans who stood with us in the war,” Klobuchar wrote on X on Sunday. “Veterans are standing with our Afghan allies as Battle Buddies volunteers. Now Congress needs to step in and pass my bipartisan bill to ensure they can put down roots here and continue contributing to our communities.”
The legislation, co-sponsored by Democrats Klobuchar, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen, along with Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Bill Cassidy and Mike Rounds, would create a clear pathway to green cards for Afghans who supported US missions and were relocated after the Taliban takeover.
Many of those evacuees currently live in the United States under humanitarian parole. Some, however, have been told to return to Afghanistan. The Trump administration has argued that conditions in Afghanistan do not warrant further protection, citing security concerns to oppose expedited resettlement.
The bill follows another bipartisan proposal, the Enduring Welcome Act, introduced on 19 August by four House members seeking to revive and codify the relocation programme for Afghan partners.
