Refugee Congress calls on Senator Schumer to introduce the Afghan Adjustment Act as a floor amendment to be included in the FY2023 omnibus
Washington DC - Refugee Congress condemns the failure to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in the FY2023 omnibus. This staggering omission endangers Afghan allies who were left in limbo after the US evacuation from Kabul in 2021. Senator Chuck Schumer needs to introduce the Afghan Adjustment Act as a floor amendment this week so that it is included in the FY2023 omnibus.
“It is shameful that we would consider giving Afghans who were granted only temporary protection no pathway to permanent residency just months before their humanitarian parole status is set to expire. Despite having strong bipartisan support, the backing of veterans’ groups, and the support of the public, Congress has chosen not to act. This is an outrage and injustice that must be corrected immediately. Congress must step up to our moral obligation and take immediate action to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director.
The Afghan Adjustment Act is a bipartisan effort to fulfill our duty to the people left in upheaval during the US 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan. AAA gives relocated Afghans a path to permanent residency in the US, keeping our commitments to our allies. Currently, those who were relocated to the US during and following our evacuation are on temporary humanitarian parole, which only allows them to stay in the US during an allotted time frame. This time frame expires in the summer and fall of 2023, making the inclusion of the Afghan Adjustment Act for the FY2023 omnibus critical.
AAA is supported by millions of American veterans, “including retired chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a former Supreme Allied commander of NATO and several former commanders in Afghanistan” who have said that this is not only a “moral imperative,” but a matter of “national security.” The US Senate needs to act now to include this critical legislation in the FY2023 omnibus as a floor amendment.
