A bipartisan group of U.S. Congress members has sent a letter to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, demanding immediate action for thousands of Afghan allies and their families who remain in limbo outside the United States. The letter calls on the administration to prioritize their resettlement cases.
The letter, led by California Democrat Scott Peters and co-signed by 19 other members of the House and Senate, was sent on September 29. The signatories urge the government to <ing the families of American service members and veterans who are still stranded a<oad to the U.S.
The letter emphasizes that nearly 3,000 family members of U.S. service members and veterans, including spouses, children, and parents, are still awaiting their fate overseas. Approximately 150 of these individuals are located at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar.
According to the letter, more than a thousand other Afghan allies and their family members, who were vetted and flown to Qatar on U.S. government aircraft, are also at the same camp. "No service member should be forced to choose between serving their country and being with their family," the lawmakers wrote.
They have asked the relevant departments to prioritize the family reunification cases, starting with those at Camp As Sayliyah. The members of Congress also requested that the government grant these individuals refugee status, which would eliminate the need for case-by-case parole and exceptional entry permits.
This letter comes as the Associated Press reports that Washington has decided to extend the operation of Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar for another nine months. The facility, which was scheduled to close on Wednesday, October 29, houses over a thousand Afghan asylum seekers who have been waiting for years to be transferred to the U.S.
Source: Afghanistan International
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