The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI is incredibly disappointed the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) was not included in the draft text of the omnibus, Congress’ end-of-the-year spending package. USCRI joins other advocates to call on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow the bill text into the omnibus as a floor amendment in the coming hours and days. This critical piece of legislation cannot wait.

The AAA would protect tens of thousands of Afghan Allies from the possibility of deportation. Without a process to obtain lawful permanent resident status, Afghan parolees face grave uncertainty about their future in the United States. They have begun to build lives in the United States and are already contributing to their communities. The AAA would provide a pathway for Afghan newcomers to adjust their status, which would allow them to obtain green cards to live and work in the United States continuously.

This bill enjoys bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It has been championed by a broad constellation of Afghan Americans, veterans’ groups, faith-based organizations, and immigrant and refugee rights’ advocates. This is not just an immigration issue—the AAA is essential to fulfilling the United States’ commitments to its national security partners and allies from its longest war, which will affect U.S. foreign policy and security in all future conflicts and engagements.

USCRI’s network has helped resettle thousands of Afghans over the past year and a half, including through its field offices and affiliates. Senate Majority Leader Schumer must recognize how New Yorkers and Afghan newcomers across the Empire State are counting on this essential piece of legislation. The Afghan Adjustment Act must be attached to the omnibus as a floor amendment and receive the vote it has long deserved.

USCRI, founded in 1911, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization committed to working on behalf of refugees and immigrants and their transition to a dignified life.

For press inquiries, please contact: aplazasrocha@uscrimail.org