Washington, DC, November 20, 2017 — The International Rescue Committee applauds Congress for allocating an additional 3,500 visas in the fiscal year (FY) 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ensure that Afghan nationals and their families who face danger as a result of their employment with the United States can continue to access safety. Roughly 40% of the individuals IRC helped resettle in fiscal year (FY) 2017 were Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients. We are proud to help these families find jobs, send their children to school, and establish themselves into their new communities.
In particular IRC commends Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman McCain (R-AZ) and Ranking Member Reed (D-RI); Senator Shaheen (D-NH), Senator Tillis (R-NC), Senator Blumenthal (D-CT); House Armed Services Committee Chairman Thornberry (R-TX) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA); Representative Kinzinger (R-IL), Representative Blumenauer (D-OR), and Representative Moulton (D-MA), among others, for ensuring continued access to protection for these individuals in a bipartisan manner. We urge Congress to similarly find bipartisan solutions to ensure that the United States meets its meager commitment to resettling 45,000 refugees this year.