Moulton’s Advocacy Key to Extending Program for Afghan Allies
Moulton: “I commit to continuing to push for more visas.”
Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) praised provisions in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would reauthorize the Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) program for four years, and he committed to continuing to advocate for an increase in visas made available for our Afghan allies supporting American troops abroad.
“I’m proud to stand with thousands of Afghans who risked their lives working for the U.S. and putting their lives on the line, not just for their country, but for ours,” said Moulton. “The Afghan SIV program’s four-year reauthorization is certainly a step in the right direction, but with only 1,500 new visas and added eligibility restrictions, we are still leaving behind at least 5,000 people who have risked their lives for us. I commit to continuing to push for more visas to be added because I would not be here today without the courageous translators who worked with me to carry out our mission in Iraq.”
Moulton has been a vocal advocate for reauthorizing the Afghan SIV program. This year, he introduced a provision to our National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to remove the narrowing of U.S. resettlement eligibility requirements to include Afghans who risked their lives working for the U.S. in Afghanistan and face well-documented death threats due to their work.
During a speech on the house floor in support of his amendment, Moulton said we need to give these Afghan allies a chance to stay alive, rather than abandon them to the same enemies they united with the U.S. to destroy. His amendment was endorsed by The New York Times Editorial Board in an editorial piece.
Congress will vote on the NDAA in the next couple of days.
To learn more about Congressman Seth Moulton visit https://moulton.house.gov or find the Congressman on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Medium.
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