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U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is halting — with a few exceptions — the temporary relocation of Afghans to the U.S. and focusing on reuniting immediate family members for permanent residency, according to a senior administration official right of abode.
The policy revision comes after some lawmakers, refugee groups and veterans groups criticized the government for failing to properly plan to evacuate Afghans at risk of Taliban retaliation when it pulled the last U.S. troops out of Afghanistan a year ago.
The government said the evacuation was a success, with nearly 90,000 Afghans resettling in the U.S., an operation of its kind, due to chaos at Kabul airport and a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans. One of the biggest actions.
Briefing reporters on the change in relocation policy on Wednesday, the senior administration official said the administration’s “commitment to our Afghan allies is enduring.” “This commitment has no end date.”
The revised policy, known as enduring welcome, begins October 1.
Under the changes, the official said, the U.S. will stop — with a few exceptions — allowing Afghans to receive humanitarian parole, a special program that allows temporary entry but no pathway to lawful permanent residence.
The official said the revised policy would focus on relocating to the U.S. immediate family members of U.S. citizens, green card holders and Afghans on special immigrant visas (SIVs) granted to those facing U.S. government jobs. Taliban retaliation risk man.
Family members admitted from these categories will have “durable, long-term immigration status” that will allow them to “settle down and integrate into their new community more quickly,” the official said. “We know that family reunification remains a top priority for Afghans themselves and for the communities that care for them, as well as for advocates and veterans groups across the country,” the official said. “That’s for us, too.”
The revised policy comes after months of talks between the government and the Afghan Evac Coalition, a group that helps evacuate and resettle Afghans in the United States.
“This is a huge deal for us,” said Sean VanDiver, head of the coalition, adding that the government still needs to improve the processing of SIV applications and increase relocation flights.
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