US Lawmakers Debate Fate Of Afghan Allies In Senate Hearing
The US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday examined challenges surrounding the relocation of Afghan refugees to the United States.
The US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday examined challenges surrounding the relocation of Afghan refugees to the United States.
The review session took place while there is sharp disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over the evacuation and resettlement of former Afghan partners.
Democratic senators said the halt to evacuations and relocations for holders of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) amounted to a betrayal of America’s Afghan allies who supported US forces during the two-decade war.
Republican senators, however, argued that the evacuation process was deeply flawed and posed risks to US national security, citing a recent attack in Washington, DC, in which two members of the National Guard were injured.
Following the attack by Rahmatullah Lakanwal, a former member of the Afghan military, scrutiny of Afghan refugees in the United States has intensified. Donald Trump has halted the relocation of Afghan refugees and the issuance of visas to citizens of Afghanistan and several other countries, saying refugees particularly Afghans would be subject to heightened security screening.
Alex Padilla, a Democratic senator from California, rejected Republican claims that security vetting was neglected during the evacuation. He said the Biden administration, despite the chaotic circumstances following the fall of Kabul, adhered to all required security screening procedures and that Afghans transferred to the United States had passed necessary checks.
Padilla said US service members relied on Afghan allies for nearly two decades in some of the most dangerous battlefield conditions, noting that they served as interpreters, intelligence assets and combat partners. He said it was unfair and regrettable to blame all Afghan allies or immigrants more broadly for the actions of one individual, urging lawmakers to avoid scapegoating.
Dick Durbin, another Democratic senator, said Afghan allies were re-vetted multiple times during their journey to the United States, a process that often took months. He said many had risked or lost their lives supporting American forces.
Durbin added that more than 70 percent of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan believe the US government has not done enough to support Afghan partners since 2001. He said US troops must know that when they rely on foreign partners in combat, the United States will stand by them after the war.
Chris Coons cited letters from about 1,200 SIV holders describing the harm caused to Afghan allies. He said one Afghan who served for eight years as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist with US special forces still fears arrest by immigration authorities and deportation to Afghanistan.
Coons warned that former US partners returned to Afghanistan would face severe Taliban reprisals, noting that the Taliban had killed a relative of one such ally. He said the United States must not abandon those who stood alongside it.
Republican senators countered by citing the attack on National Guard members and argued that thousands of Afghan refugees were brought to the United States without proper vetting. They accused the Biden administration of mismanagement and incompetence during the evacuation.
Ted Cruz said 13 US service members were killed during the evacuation following the fall of Kabul and that many Afghan allies were left behind. He argued that failures in security screening endangered national security and claimed more than 120,000 people entered the United States within days without full vetting.
Cruz said warnings over the years about security risks linked to unchecked refugee admissions had been ignored.
