From the AFT:
“Vets hold vigil at Capitol
again, this time to aid Afghan allies”
(Activist Matt Zeller, right,
records a video update of the ongoing veterans protest outside the Capitol
building Sept. 20. With him are Navy reservist Safi Rauf, left, Afghan refugee
Shershah Wahidi, second from left, and other protestors.)
For the second time in two
months, dozens of veterans and military advocates are holding an
around-the-clock vigil outside the U.S. Capitol in an effort to advance
legislation they say will save lives. But unlike in early August, when the
protest focused on better benefits for victims of military burn pits, this
effort is centered on aiding Afghan allies in their attempts to escape Taliban
persecution amid worsening conditions in their home country. “These people have
a knife hanging over their heads, and we’re telling them it could take years
before [the United States] helps them,” said Safi Rauf, a Navy reservist who
spent four months in Taliban captivity after he was caught trying to aid allies
trying to escape Afghanistan. “The toll this is taking on people’s mental
health is unimaginable.”
Supporters are pushing for
Congress to immediately pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, legislation that would
ease vetting and processing for Afghans applying for permanent legal status in
America. It would also expand eligibility for special immigrant visa access to
Afghan refugees, and make improvements to those assistance programs. On Friday,
a coalition of 24 veterans organizations — including The American Legion, the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America — sent a
letter to congressional leaders calling for the measure to be included in
must-pass budget legislation scheduled for later this month. “For two decades,
we fought shoulder-to-shoulder with brave Afghan allies who served with and
protected American forces, fighting for the freedom of Afghanistan and its
people,” the groups wrote. “Many of us made personal commitments to our allies,
and we believe that the United States has a sacred obligation to the people of
Afghanistan. We must honor the promises we made as a nation and are duty-bound
to fulfill.”
Since U.S. military forces
withdrew from Afghanistan and Taliban forces took control of the country in
August 2021, nearly 80,000 refugees have been evacuated from the country. But
many remain in legal limbo, as processing of immigration applications have
dragged on for months. Tens of thousands of others left overseas face even
bleaker odds and limited access to embassy services that could help speed up
their escape from Taliban persecution. “There are people who aren’t going to
make it through the winter unless this law gets passed soon,” said Matt Zeller,
a senior advisor at IAVA and a longtime advocate for support services for
Afghan allies who worked alongside American military forces. “We all see it
happening,” he said. “And there are people all over the world right now who
partner with the United States who are watching this and wondering if we are
trustworthy.”
White House officials said the
move is meant to improve efforts to assist Afghan refugees. So far, the
legislation has been stalled by concerns — largely from Republican lawmakers —
over whether the would-be immigrants pose a security threat. For the past six
days, supporters have camped out near the Capitol steps with signs and flyers
disputing those concerns and pleading with lawmakers for action. Every evening,
the number of protestors swells ahead of a daily dinner rally. Every morning
around 4 a.m., the group clears its lawn chairs and supplies from the Capitol
lawn to avoid a soaking from the Capitol’s sprinkler system.
Shershah Wahidi, an Afghan
national who worked with the United Nations there until the Taliban takeover,
was evacuated from Kabul International Airport on Aug. 21, 2021. His escape
traversed through the same airport gate where a few days later a suicide bomber
killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and hundreds of civilians. “I came here with my
four kids, fearing for our future and our safety,” he said. “I applied for
asylum, but I still haven’t heard anything back and my [temporary immigration]
status expires next year. Everything is just up in the air at this point.”
Wahidi, who works as a financial analyst at George Washington University, said
he hopes his presence at the Capitol puts a human face on the suffering that
the pending legislation could help alleviate.
That worked for the toxic
exposure bill passed last month. After months of procedural delays in Congress,
a coalition of veterans groups held a five-day, round-the-clock protest outside
the Capitol to bring public attention to their ongoing health issues and the
need for additional research into burn pit injuries. The burn pits protest drew
national headlines, in large part because of high-profile partners like
comedian Jon Stewart. The new protest (which features several veterans who took
part in the last event) entered its sixth day on Tuesday. It hasn’t gained the
same level of attention, but Zeller said the need for action is just as urgent.
Congress must pass a budget
extension before Sept. 30 or trigger a partial government shutdown. If the
Afghan Adjustment Act is attached to that spending measure, the changes could
be signed into law before the start of October. If it’s not, however,
supporters will have to wait until mid-November for any hope of action.
Lawmakers are scheduled to go on a pre-election break starting Oct. 1, and are
not scheduled to return to Washington until seven weeks later. Zeller said the
protestors are prepared to spend the next two months camped outside the Capitol
if Congress doesn’t act on the issue. “These Afghan allies are the hardest
people on the planet,” he said. “They’ve been through 40 years of war and
famine. So, they’re going to be here, and we’re going to be here, until this
law gets passed.”
^ Sadly, Biden, the State
Department and Congress seem to conveniently forget the promises they made 1
year and 1 month ago – to get everyone who helped the United States from
2001-2021 and who are now being hunted down tortured and killed by the Taliban
– out of Afghanistan.
I am a huge believer in keeping
your promises (I am still keeping promises I made to my Mom right before she
passed in 2014.)
A Politician, a Government, a
Person is only as good as their word and I you promise something and then don’t
keep that promise you are no longer worth anything (and everything you do say
from then are is worthless.) ^
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