Blumenthal Statement on One-Year Anniversary of U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement marking the one-year anniversary of the United States completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The images and stories of men, women and children pleading for help and desperately seeking to escape the Taliban still haunt me one year after our nation’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. In the days and weeks following the withdrawal, my office joined countless veterans, service members, non-profit volunteers, and reporters who became evacuation experts overnight and saved thousands of lives. Many were saved by these efforts and the evacuation was the largest in history, but so many more remain left behind. As long as our allies and their families remain in Afghanistan, or in danger elsewhere, the United States has a moral obligation to continue its evacuation and resettlement efforts.”
“Our allies face an increasingly desperate situation and our work remains unfinished. More must be done to ensure these Afghans have a future of safety and stability. The Administration must expand Operation Allies Welcome and the Senate must pass the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, essential legislation to provide a path to citizenship for at-risk Afghans and expand eligibility for the SIV program to members of the Afghan Special Forces, including the Female Tactical Platoons and others critical to our twenty year mission in Afghanistan.”
“The work to evacuate and resettle Afghan refugees continues. In their time of great peril, we owe them our assistance now. To do any less would be a stain on our nation’s honor – and something I will not accept.”
Since the U.S. withdrawal, Blumenthal has been heavily involved in efforts to help Americans and Afghan allies leave Afghanistan. Working with a coalition of volunteers, veterans, journalists, and advocates, last October Blumenthal and his office provided critical assistance in helping secure safe passage from Mazar-e Sharif for two planes carrying American citizens, Legal Permanent Residents, interpreters and other vulnerable Afghans, and their families.
Earlier this month, Blumenthal joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in introducing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would improve newly arrived Afghan allies’ legal status as they build new lives in the United States. Currently, Afghans who were admitted on temporary humanitarian status can only achieve permanent legal status through the asylum process or the Special Immigrant Visa process, which face severe backlogs and long processing times. The measure includes Blumenthal-authored provisions to improve and expand the Special Immigrant Visa process by broadening SIV eligibility to include groups that worked alongside American forces such as the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command, including the Female Tactical Platoons of Afghanistan and others critical to our twenty year mission in Afghanistan.
Last year, Blumenthal joined U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) in introducing the Honor Our Commitment Act to prioritize evacuation, processing, and resettlement efforts for Americans, Lawful Permanent Residents, and at-risk Afghan allies. He also wrote President Joe Biden calling for a clear, effective strategy to expedite the evacuation of Americans and at-risk Afghan allies who face significant, imminent risk if they remain in Afghanistan.
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