Working to Protect our Afghan Neighbors

The evacuation was just the beginning. We must continue to advocate for our Afghan neighbors in the U.S. and abroad.

For two decades, the U.S. Government worked with hundreds of thousands of Afghan allies to serve the U.S. mission as interpreters, translators, cultural advisors, drivers, NGO employees, human rights activists, and more. Because of their service to the U.S. mission, our allies and their families soon became the targets of anti-American violence.

In early 2021, before Afghanistan was making headlines, Global Refuge began pressing the White House to act to protect and evacuate our allies. We joined veterans’ groups, human rights organizations, and resettlement agencies to form the Evacuate our Allies coalition, and together, we advocated not only for the continued and urgent evacuation of in-country Afghans at-risk, but also the safety and rights of those who we have already welcomed to the United States.

Through Operation Allies Refuge, the U.S. evacuated more than 76,000 of our Afghan allies—but tens of thousands remain in harm’s way. Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, attacks against Afghan nationals who remain in-country and aided the U.S. mission have not ended.

We must continue to protect and advocate for those at risk, including translators, human rights activists, journalists, LGBTQIA+ people, and religious and minority groups. Additionally, thousands of female judges, journalists, and activists have seen see their freedoms stripped away. Global Refuge and its partners remain steadfast in ensuring pathways of protection and a robust humanitarian response for the Afghan people who have been left behind.

Global Refuge has been at the forefront of advocacy for our Afghan neighbors since the beginning, and we are not stopping now. We stand ready to support and empower recently arrived Afghans  in the United States and to continue advocating for those left behind. We will continue our work to ensure their successful integration into our communities and will continue to advocate for the Afghan Adjustment Act, which offers a permanent status and sense of security to Afghans brought to the U.S. through the August 2021 evacuation.

Our Advocacy for Afghan Allies

• April 14, 2021
  Withdrawal Announcement
  President Biden announces withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021
• May 12, 2021
  Global Refuge Response
  Global Refuge submits recommendations to provide humanitarian protection for certain Afghans to Biden administration
• May 21, 2021
  Action alert
  Global Refuge launches our Protect Afghan Allies Action Alert, resulting in over 21,000 messages in support of Afghan allies sent to the White House.
• June 4, 2021
  NGO Letter
  Global Refuge delivers letter signed by 70 non-governmental organizations to administration, urging evacuation
• June 8, 2021
  Call to Care: More Than Allies
  Global Refuge hosts webinar: Call to Care: More than Allies.
• June 24, 2021
  Relocation Announcement
  President Biden announces relocation of allies.
• June 1, 2021
  Save Our Afghan Allies Rally
  Global Refuge hosts the Save Our Afghan Allies rally with our coalition partners in Washington, D.C.
• July 8, 2021
  Presidential Remarks
  President Biden delivers remarks on Afghanistan winddown.
• July 8, 2021
  RCUSA Letter to Administration
  Refugee Council USA submits recommendations to administration.
• July 14. 2021
  Operation Allies Refuge
  Reports indicate White House launch of Operation Allies Refuge.
• July 30, 2021
  Afghans Arrive in US
  The first of our Afghan allies arrive at Ft. Lee in Virginia; Congress passes emergency funding bill that includes money for and changes to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program
• August 15, 2021
  Fall of Kabul
  Kabul falls to the Taliban; U.S. embassy in Kabul closes; evacuation effort broadens.
• August 30, 2021
  Final Evacuation Flights
  The last Operation Allies Refuge evacuation flights and the U.S. military depart; the operation brings 120,000+ to safety.
• September 30, 2021
  Passage of Protective Provision
  Congress passes Merkley provision to help ease the transition to the U.S. for recently evacuated Afghan refugees.
• October 28, 2021
  Letter to National Security Advisor
  Global Refuge joins with 100+ organizations in sending a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urging the administration to support further evacuation and humanitarian protections for Afghans in-country.
• February 15, 2022
  Letter to DHS and USCIS
  Global Refuge and Human Rights First lead and deliver a letter signed by 200 organizations requesting creation of the Afghan Parole Program, a designated parole program for at-risk Afghans.
• March 1, 2022
  Faith-based Letter to Congress
  Global Refuge co-led a letter to Congress calling for and Afghan Adjustment Act. The letter was signed by more than 250 faith leaders and 100 faith-based organizations.
• April 20, 2022
  Release of Evacuate Our Allies Report
  Marking the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s announcement of full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Evacuate Our Allies Coalition releases a recommendations report to the White House and Operation Allies Welcome, the federal government’s Unified Coordination Group.
• June 3, 2022
  Letter to Secretary Mayorkas and USCIS Director Jaddou
  Global Refuge led and was joined by over 115 organizations in calling on the Biden administration to reinstate vital legal services for Afghans who are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas at Operation Allies Welcome’s National Conference Center. Read the letter.
• July 25, 2022
  Vital Legal Services Reinstated
  Operation Allies Welcome and USCIS favorably responded to request to reinstate vital legal services for Afghans who are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas at Operation Allies Welcome’s National Conference Center. Read the official response. The first legal clinic was held July 24, 2022.
• August 10, 2022
  Press Conference for the Afghan Adjustment Act
  Global Refuge co-led a press conference with veteran and Afghan members of the Evacuate Our Allies Coalition, urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, which had been introduced in the House and Senate the day before. Learn more about the bill here.
• August 27, 2022
  Last Legal Services Clinic Held
  Pro bono attorneys, in partnership with Operation Allies Welcome, held the last of four legal services clinics at the National Conference Center for newly arrived Afghans in the end phase of their SIV process. As an outcome of those clinics, 130 Adjustment of Status Applications for Afghan SIVs were prepared and as a result of our advocacy, 177 total applications were accepted by USCIS for processing.
• September 6-8, 2022
  Co-Host Evacuate Our Allies Advocacy Days
  Following the bipartisan introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act, Global Refuge co-hosted Advocacy Days urging Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. During our September fly-in, nearly 500 participants joined us for 80 House and Senate meetings focused on the passage of this critical legislation.
• March 6, 2023
  SIV Processing Advocacy
  Global Refuge and 45 organizations from the Evacuate Our Allies coalition urged USCIS prioritize the processing of approximately 11,000 adjustment of status applications filed by Afghans evacuees who are currently eligible for lawful permanent residence through the SIV program.
• May 4, 2023
  LIRS, AAF, and USCRI Call for Re-Designation of TPS
  Global Refuge and over a hundred other EOA coalition members call for immediate re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan.
• June 1, 2023
  DHS Responds to Immediate TPS Re-Designation Request for Afghanistan
  Ur Jaddou, the Director of USCIS, responds on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, to EOA coalition members on the status of redesignating TPS for Afghanistan.
• June 20, 2023
  USCIS Responds to Processing Letter
  USCIS responds to Global Refuge and advocates regarding SIV green card processing, indicating it is prioritizing the processing and adjudication of adjustment of status applications filed by Afghan special immigrants.
• July 14, 2023
  Afghan Adjustment Act Reintroduced
  The Afghan Adjustment Act is reintroduced as a standalone bill in the House and Senate
• December 1, 2023
  Letter to White House, State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
  LIRS, HRF, and Amnesty International led and were joined by over 60 organizations in calling on the Biden administration to improve refugee processing for Afghan refugees by increasing capacity, leveraging existing authorities, and implementing changes to speed USRAP processing times. Read the letter.
  
• December 4, 2023
  Co-Host Evacuate Our Allies Advocacy Days
  Global Refuge co-hosted Advocacy Days urging Congress to pass Afghan Adjustment in the final National Defense Authorization Act. During our December fly-in, nearly 300 participants joined us for 100 House and Senate meetings focused on the passage of this critical legislation.