FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2021
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Spencer Tilger
media@refugeerights.org
646.761.2556
IRAP COMMENDS FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES, CALLS FOR PATHWAY TO PERMANENT RESIDENCY
(New York, NY) – The following is a statement from International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) Policy Director, Sunil Varghese, reacting to the passage of a stopgap government funding bill that averted a government shutdown and provided assistance for Afghans who were evacuated to the United States following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan:
“With this bill, Congress has taken important steps to support the recent Afghan arrivals, including funding access to refugee benefits. For the tens of thousands of Afghans starting a new life in the United States and the millions of Americans who support them, these benefits are a critical lifeline.
However, the funding package is a missed opportunity to provide Afghans in the U.S. with a pathway to permanent residence in the United States. Thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated to the U.S. currently do not have permanent immigration status. Placing these refugees into the backlogged immigration system is unnecessary, inefficient, and could prevent them from having the safety and stability they need to restart their lives.”
Additional Background
View IRAP’s recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to take continued steps to protect at-risk Afghans here.
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