Hudson Praises Passage of Afghan ALLIES Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement on H.R. 3985, the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act of 2021, that passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, which Rep. Hudson co-sponsored, protects our Afghan partners and expedites the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process as the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan.

"Throughout the war in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans risked their lives to aid American soldiers in combat overseas. Now as the United States withdraws from the conflict, over 17,000 still remain at risk and targeted by the Taliban. While I believe withdrawing from Afghanistan is shortsighted and an insult to our service members who sacrificed there, we made a promise to those Afghans who supported our efforts and have a moral obligation to keep our word to them," said Rep. Hudson.

The Afghan SIV Program was created in 2009 to provide safety for Afghan interpreters, contractors, and security personnel who worked with the U.S. government in Afghanistan. The application process has been plagued by delays since the program was established and faces severe backlogs, with wait times routinely stretching for years. Since the Biden Administration announced its plans to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, Rep. Hudson has joined calls on the Administration to expedite this visa process, as Afghan SIV applicants and their families are increasingly under threat by the Taliban.

The ALLIES Act would increase the Afghan SIV cap by an additional 8,000 visas and remove burdensome application requirements that slow down the application process without impacting national security.

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