Reps. Crow, Nunn, Blumenauer, and Wenstrup Lead 51 Colleagues in Bipartisan Letter to Honor US Promises, Safeguard the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, joined Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA-3), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-2) in leading a letter with 51 of their colleagues urging leadership on the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to prioritize the life-saving Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program in the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Essential provisions include an authorization of an additional 20,000 visas and an extension of the program through December 31, 2027.

In the letter, the Members highlight the bipartisan and bicameral support the SIV program has historically received, noting that “Congress recognized the importance of the SIV program and demonstrated a shared commitment to honoring our allies by authorizing additional visas through appropriations packages” in five of the last six fiscal years. These critical provisions are included in the Senate version of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill. 

“Congress must continue this work so that the State Department is able to issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their service to the U.S. and our allies,” the Members said in the letter.

The Members continue: “Our Afghan allies must not be left without this crucial pathway to safety from the violent dangers they face because of their service to the U.S. mission.”

The Afghan SIV program was first enacted through the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to provide a life-saving path to safety for Afghan nationals who face serious danger as a result of their work alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and contractors. Since that time, the program has been extended and reformed numerous times, each time with significant bipartisan and bicameral support. 

This letter builds on Congressman Crow’s relentless advocacy in support of our Afghan partner. Earlier this month, Crow highlighted the importance of the SIV program, the need for swift processing, and the need for additional SIVs in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He previously worked to ensure the authorization of 12,000 additional Afghan SIVs in the State Department's foreign operations funding bill, introduced the Afghan Allies Protection Act to expand and extend the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, helped introduce the Afghan Adjustment Act to provide a legal adjustment process for Afghan allies already in the US, and started the Honoring Our Promises Working Group following the announcement of the withdrawal to help expedite Special Immigrant Visas and U.S. Refugee Admissions Programs.

A PDF of the letter can be found here, with full text appearing below:  

December 18, 2024

Dear Chairs Cole and Diaz-Balart and Ranking Members DeLauro and Lee: 

We write to urge you to maintain critical provisions for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program1 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Authorizing new Afghan SIVs is critical to vetting and relocating qualified Afghan principal applicants currently in the processing pipeline. 

The Afghan SIV program was first enacted through the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to provide a life-saving path to safety for Afghan nationals who face serious danger as a result of their work alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and contractors. Since that time, the program has been extended and reformed numerous times, each time with significant bipartisan and bicameral support. 

In FY 2019, FY 2020, FY 2021, FY 2023, and FY 2024, Congress recognized the importance of the SIV program and demonstrated a shared commitment to honoring our allies by authorizing additional visas through appropriations packages. Congress must continue this work so that the State Department is able to issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their service to the U.S. and our allies. 

We therefore request that you maintain the following language in the FY 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill (S. 4797, Section 7034(d)(6)): 

AFGHAN ALLIES.—Section 602(b)(3)(F) of 13 the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 14 1101 note) is amended— 

(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2025’’; 

(B) in the matter preceding clause (i), in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘50,500’’ and inserting ‘‘70,500’’; and 

(C) in clauses (ii), by striking ‘‘December 31, 2025’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2027’’. 

Our Afghan allies must not be left without this crucial pathway to safety from the violent dangers they face because of their service to the U.S. mission. Thank you for your consideration. 

Thank you for your consideration.

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