FOIA: The Defense Department’s “Project Rabbit” verifying the employment of Afghan SIV applicants

IRAP filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department to obtain documents about “Project Rabbit,” a little-publicized program to review the employment qualifications of Afghan SIV applicants. 

Impact

Last year, the Defense Department publicly acknowledged the creation of Project Rabbit, a program meant to “expedite and streamline… one of the most burdensome portions of the [SIV] process” for Afghan employees of Defense Department contractors. But nearly a year later, with thousands of Afghan SIV applicants awaiting approval, there is almost no public information on how the program works, leading to confusion among impacted communities and impeding equitable access to the SIV program.

Case status

IRAP has received some records from the Department of Defense.

• August 2, 2022: Complaint is filed

Davis Wright Tremaine is representing IRAP in this case.