WASHINGTON (AP) — The Joe Biden administration will continue to allow tens of thousands of Afghans who fled the control of the Taliban more than two years ago to remain and work in the United States, after legislative work that has stalled. he intended to permanently resolve his immigration status, according to two people familiar with the plan.
As soon as this summer, eligible refugees will be able to renew their temporary work permits and protections against deportation for another two years, according to two government officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized. to testify about plans that have not been disclosed. The protections were initially granted in 2021 and were renewed last year.
The plan is a temporary solution for the more than 76,000 Afghans who arrived in the United States after the chaotic military withdrawal of US soldiers, one of the darkest moments of the Biden presidency. Many of those who arrived in the country have worked with federal officials, some of them for years, as translators, interpreters and in other capacities.
CBS News was the first outlet to report on the renewals. The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue an official announcement later this week.
Veterans and migrant advocacy groups that have been working with the government to find a more permanent solution to the situation for the Afghans say the move is a temporary solution, but better than nothing.
“Afghans have been languishing on our shores awaiting a long-term response, and Congress continues to gamble with their future,” said Shawn Van Diver, a Navy veteran and director of #AfghanEvac, a coalition that supports the efforts. resettlement of Afghans. But he said he’s pleased the federal government is letting them stay in the country while Congress can’t find a solution.
The US government temporarily admitted the refugees as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the largest resettlement initiative in the country in decades, with the promise of offering a path to live in the United States in exchange for their services.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers had hoped to fix the immigration status of Afghans as part of a year-end government funding package in December. The proposal would have allowed them to apply for citizenship starting in August, when their temporary status was set to expire, just as refugees from other countries, including Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq, had previously been done.
But that attempt failed due to opposition from some Republicans, notably Sen. Chuck Grassley, who argued last year that the initiative had gone too far in including evacuees beyond “those who have been our allies for the last 20 years.” and provide a pathway to residency without the required filters.
Some lawmakers hope that now that advanced filters have been added to the proposal, it can win the support it needs to advance in the Republican-majority House of Representatives and the Senate, where Democrats enjoy a marginal majority.
“It goes to the heart of the issue of whether the United States is keeping its promise to protect its allies,” Helal Massomi, an Afghan evacuee and Afghan policy adviser with the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said Monday. “Congress needs to deliver on our country’s promise and make it clear to Afghans that this country is more than their temporary haven…it’s their home.”
