WASHINGTON, DC — With Honor Action, along with members of the bipartisan For Country Caucus, held a press conference earlier today, calling for support for our wartime Afghan allies.

August marked two years since the fall of Kabul, and much work remains to be done to support our Afghan allies, both at home and abroad. With Honor Action, along with members of the For Country Caucus, is committed to fulfilling America’s promises to those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for more than two decades in our nation’s longest war.

“America gave her word to our wartime allies: stand with us and we will stand with you,” said Rye Barcott, With Honor Action CEO & Co-Founder. “It’s time we keep our word. Leaving our allies behind is unacceptable and damaging to our national security.”

L-R: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Rep. Miller-Meeks, Rye Barcott, Rep. Nunn (at podium), Rep. Waltz, and Rep. Jackson

Press conference attendees included:

• Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03)
• Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)
• Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC-14)
• Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06)
• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01)
• Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06)

Currently, there are two pieces of bipartisan legislation under consideration in the U.S. House focused on supporting our Afghan allies. The Afghan Adjustment Act, led by For Country Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, would provide Afghan refugees the opportunity to apply for permanent residence rather than being subject to traumatizing and complex asylum processes, expand eligibility in the special immigrant visa (SIV) program, and provide additional vetting to address any security concerns. The Afghan Allies Protection Act, led by For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jason Crow and For Country Caucus member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would extend the life of the Afghan SIV program, provide an eligibility exemption for those injured or killed in the line of duty, and authorize an additional 20,000 special immigrant visas.

These two pieces of legislation address our commitments to our wartime allies by: 1) granting them the ability to settle in the United States permanently through the Afghan Adjustment Act and 2) providing more special immigrant visas to those who have been left behind, through the Afghan Allies Protection Act.

Check out this recent letter that With Honor Action and 23 other Veteran Service Organizations signed on to urging Congressional leadership to help our Afghan allies in their time of need.

August 15, 2023

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer                                 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
322 Hart Senate Office Building                                 317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                                                 Washington, DC 20510

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy                       Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
2468 Rayburn House Office Building                         2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515                                                  Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Schumer, Speaker McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Jeffries,

We represent 24 unique veterans groups and write in support of protecting our Afghan allies. Tens of thousands of Afghans were left to the mercy of the Taliban when Kabul fell in 2021, unable to escape when coalition forces evacuated. They are interpreters who served in American units, members of the Afghan Air Force and Special Forces, female Afghan Security Forces members, judges, prosecutors, civil servants, journalists, teachers and more – they were our partners and friends, and they are fierce opponents of the Taliban. Today they are pursued by a murderous and radical regime set on revenge.

America gave these important allies and partners her word: stand with us and we’ll stand by you. To betray the trust that they placed in the United States would represent an intolerable moral failure and a stain on America’s conscience that would last generations. The compromise of our credibility and leadership on the world stage would be profound.

For two years, thousands of Afghans have been ruthlessly pursued by the Taliban and left in American bureaucratic limbo. The moral imperative is clear and the time to act is now.

We respectfully urge you to come to an appropriate legislative solution by the end of the calendar year 2023, whether it be in the National Defense Authorization Act, a consolidated appropriations bill (omnibus), or through regular order.

We ask that you prioritize the visa backlog for all at-risk Afghan allies and swift implementation of adequate vetting protocols in this agreement to protect our national security while keeping our promises.

We served and shed blood alongside many of these brave Afghans, whose only sin was to pursue a better democratic future for their country. Please do not allow them to be ignored and unprotected for another legislative calendar year. Their lives could well depend on whether America keeps her promise.

With respect and gratitude,

With Honor Action
No One Left Behind
POLARIS National Security
Moral Compass Federation
REACT DC
Operation Pineapple Express Relief
Task Force Argo
Blackfeather Foundation
1208 Foundation
Save Our Allies
Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches
Afghan Free
Flanders Fields Limited
Project Exodus Relief
Special Operations Association of America
Heart of an ACE
Operation Recovery
Operation Sacred Promise
NATO Afghanistan Justice Sector Project
UNCN
Operation Allies Refuge Foundation
Badger Six
Lifeline Foundation
Freedom Bird

MEMORANDUM

To: All Interested Parties
From: With Honor Action
Re: Assistance for our Afghan Allies
Date: 8/17/23

Current State:
As we mark two years since the fall of Kabul, there is still work to be done to safeguard our Afghan allies. With Honor Action is committed to fulfilling America’s promises to those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for over two decades. That means passing the Afghan Adjustment Act and giving our wartime allies a safe and legal way to build their lives in America, free from the threat of the Taliban.

What With Honor Action is Doing:
Over the last few months, With Honor Action has met with numerous members of Congress, highlighting the desperate pleas of our Afghan allies who are currently living in limbo, facing the threat of getting sent back into danger and chaos, and the need for the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act.

We also partnered with an all-female Afghan tactical Platoon, to push this legislation forward. Hear their story here on their work with the U.S. military, the pain of leaving their families behind, and their fight for a safe future.

What is the Afghan Adjustment Act?
The Afghan Adjustment Act is a first step toward keeping our word as a nation and honoring the debt owed to our Afghan allies. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence for Afghans already in America, offering them a way out of legal limbo and the looming threat of deportation. Congress has historically passed similar legislation for other displaced populations on humanitarian grounds, including Vietnamese and Korean refugees.

The Afghan Adjustment Act would improve and expand the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by broadening SIV eligibility to include groups that worked and fought alongside U.S. forces, like the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command and the Afghan Female Tactical Teams.

What Would the Bill Do?
Allow Afghans who are on humanitarian status and submit to additional vetting — including an in-person interview — to apply for permanent legal status in the United States . For these Afghans, the primary options under current law to gain permanent status are through our broken asylum system or the burdensome SIV process, which has a current backlog of over 140,000 applications

Expands the SIV program to include previously omitted groups, including the Female Tactical Teams of Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, the Afghan Air Force, and the Special Mission Wing of Afghanistan

Establish a US task force to develop and implement a strategy for supporting Afghans outside of the United States who are eligible for SIV status

Require the Department of State to respond to congressional inquiries about SIV applications

Current Sponsors of the Afghan Adjustment Act:

H.R. 4627:
Lead Sponsors: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) & Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Co-sponsors: 31 (15 Republicans, 16 Democrats)

S. 2327:
Lead Sponsors: Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Senator Lindsey Graham (SC)
Co-sponsors: 12 (6 Republicans, 6 Democrats)

Support Overview

H.R. 4627 has significant bipartisan support as the bill is co-sponsored by 32 members, 9 of whom are members of the cross-partisan For Country Caucus.

The Senate companion bill, S. 2327, is also being led with bipartisan leadership in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees this issue, and other leaders on key Senate committees.

What They Are Saying:

Fox News: Army veteran seeks to save Afghan commando from Taliban

Fox News: Army vet seeks to save Afghan commando stuck in Turkey, living in fear of Taliban

The Hill: Afghan Adjustment Act will allow families like mine to find stability, opportunity in America

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Applauds Reintroduction of Afghan Adjustment Act

Washington Post: She was lucky to escape Afghanistan. Two years later, she’s stuck in limbo.

ABC: Refugee resettlement leaders in Kansas call for passage of Afghan Adjustment Act

Human Rights First: Former Military Commanders Support Afghan Adjustment Act

CBS19: Bill reintroduced to help Afghan refugees seeking legal residency in U.S.

CBS: Tens of thousands of Afghans in U.S. could lose deportation protections unless Congress acts

The Soapbox: Time Is Running Out for Congress to Help Our Afghan Allies

Fox News: We cannot forget our Afghan heroes and our promise to help them

Vox: An act of Congress could grant legal status to thousands of Afghan allies. What’s the holdup?