Congresswoman Sara Jacobs Votes for Legislation to Protect Afghan Partners, Continues Work on SIV Issue
Jacobs is original co-sponsor of ALLIES Act, member of House working group dedicated to issue
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) voted Thursday for the ALLIES Act (H.R. 3985), legislation to protect Afghan interpreters, contractors, security personnel, and other partners who face deadly retribution by the Taliban for their work with the United States government. This bipartisan legislation will expand and expedite the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, which helps Afghan partners and their families safely immigrate to the United States.
Congresswoman Jacobs, a member of the bipartisan Honoring our Promises Working Group and the House Armed Services Committee, is an original co-sponsor of the ALLIES Act, which increases the number of available visas by 8,000, eliminates redundant paperwork, and clarifies eligibility standards. This legislation is also designed to bolster protections and retain SIV eligibility for surviving children and spouses of deceased SIV applicants.
As a member of the Honoring our Promises Working Group, Jacobs joined colleagues in writing to the White House in April and June expressing their concerns over the safety of Afghan allies and problems with the SIV process. The Honoring our Promises Working Group has met regularly this year to raise awareness of this issue.
“President Biden made the right choice in withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But we have an obligation to honor our commitments to those who helped us, which includes expediting and expanding the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa process. Thousands of individuals who worked with our country are now at risk and it is our responsibility to bring them to safety in the United States. As a member of the bipartisan group spearheading this effort in the House, I was proud to vote for the ALLIES Act and look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the White House to improve this process and make sure that all those who will be targeted because of their affiliation with the United States are taken care of,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.
This week, the White House announced plans to evacuate 2,500 Afghan partners to Fort Lee in Virginia while they await final processing of their visas.