SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM.
THOUSANDS MORE ARE STUCK IN THE
PIPELINE BECAUSE OF YEARS OF RED
TAPE.
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TAMMY
DUCKWORTH AN IRAQ WAR VETERAN IS
THE CO-SPONSOR OF THE BILL TO
STREAMLINE THE PROCESS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SENATOR, IF WE COULD ZERO IN ON
THE PROBLEM, WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO
LONG AND EVEN NOW WERE TELLING
PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE TO GET TO
KABUL GETTING PAST ALL KINDS OF
TALIBAN CHECKPOINTS.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING KILLED WHILE
THIS IS HAPPENING.
WHY CANT THEY SPEED UP THIS
PROCESS?
>> WERE WORKING TO SPEED UP
THIS PROCESS.
THE PROBLEM IS THE STATE
DEPARTMENT HAS ONLY AUTHORIZED A
CERTAIN NUMBER OF VISAS UNDER
THIS PROGRAM TO GIVE OUT AND
WEVE HAD EXPONENTIALLY MORE
AFGHANIS WHO WORKED WITH U.S.
FORCES THAN THE STATE DEPARTMENT
EVEN HAS VISAS FOR AND THE STATE
DEPARTMENT IS SO BACKED UP RIDGH
NOW THEY CANT EVEN SPEED IT UP,
AND THEYRE LOOKING AT A TWO TO
FOUR-YEAR BACKLOGGED WHICH IS
WHY ITS SO IMPORTANT TO GET
THESE PEOPLES EYES, THEY HAVE
BULLS-EYES ON THEIR BACK AS
WELL AS THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND
WE NEED TO GET THEM OUT OF
HARMS WAY AND THATS WHY I
SUPPORT CONGRESSMAN CROWS
LEGISLATION THAT INCREASES THE
NUMBERS OF VISAS AVAILABLE AND
ALLOWS THE ADMINISTRATION TO
TAKE THESE FOLKS OUT OF
AFGHANISTAN IMMEDIATELY WHIL WE
WORK OUT THE PAPERWORK ISSUE.
>> I KNOW SENATOR SHAHEEN AND
OTHERS ON THE HOUSE SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
SO WHAT CAN BE DONE?
I KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF THE PAN
DEM
PANDEMIC THE EMBASSY IN KABUL
DIDNT HAVE PEOPLE THERE DOING
CONSULAR WORK.
THE PROBLEM IS ITS A
LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR
THESE SPECIAL VISAS.
SO CAN YOU CHANGE THAT
REQUIREMENT LEGISLATIVELY SO
THAT THEY CAN GRANT SOME KIND OF
EXEMPTION PROCESS WHERE THEY CAN
GET AWAY TO A THIRD COUNTRY OR
TO THE UNITED STATES TO A
MILITARY BASE AND WAIT OUT
THERE?
>> THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, WEIR
DOING THAT NOW AND WERE WORKING
ON THE LEGISLATIVE FIX, BUT
ANDREA, EVEN BEFORE THAT, WE CAN
PHYSICALLY MOVE THESE PEOPLE OUT
OF THERE AND TO ANOTHER LOCATION
AND THERES PRECEDENCE FOR THIS.
DURING THE FIRST PERSIAN GULF
WAR WHEN OUR KURDISH ALLIES AND
INTERPRETERS WERE LEFT BEHIND
WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH ENDED THE
WAR, THEY WERE HUNTED DOWN BY
SADDAM HUSSEIN.
THEY HAD TO RUN AND FLEE TO THE
MOUNTAINS AS SADDAM WENT AFTER
ANYBODY WHO WORKED WITH
AMERICANS AND TRIED TO KILL THEM
ALL AND WHAT PRESIDENT CLINTON
THEN DID IS HE ACTUALLY SENT
AIRCRAFT IN THAT CARRIED THOSE
FOLKS UP OUT OF THOSE AND ENTER
PRETTIERS AND WENT TO GUAM AND
GOT ALL OF THE BUREAUCRACY
CAUGHT UP AND WE CAN DO THE SAME
THING.
THEY DONT HAVE TO GO TO
AMERICAN BASES, WE CAN SEND THEM
TO OTHER BASES AROUND THE WORLD
WHERE WE HAVE U.S. TROOPS AND WE
CAN SEND THEM TO OTHER NATIONS
AND WHILE WE WAIT, PHYSICALLY,
WE NEED TO GET THEM OUT OF
AFGHANISTAN.
WE CANT LEAVE ANYBODY BEHIND.
WE CANT LEAVE ANYBODY BEHIND
AND THE HOSTAGES THAT ARE BEING
HELD BY THE TALIBAN AND THEIR
CONSTITUENTS.
WE HAVE SOMEONE IN TALIBAN HANDS
RIGHT NOW AND WE CERTAINLY
CANNOT LEAVE THE INTERPRETERS
BEHIND.
WE NEED TO TAKE THEM, TOO.
>> AND THE AIRPORT, THEIR ONLY
PATH OUT, MAY NOT BE SECURE FOR
THAT LONG.
THIS WITHDRAWAL IS GOING SO
QUICKLY.
THE OTHER PIECE IS THERE ARE
WOMENS RIGHTS ADVOCATES,
CIVILIANS WHO WERE NOT A PART OF
THIS COMBAT OPERATION AND HUMAN
RIGHTS, ADVOCATES AND EDUCATORS
AND SOME OF THEM MAY WANT TO
LEAVE THEIR COUNTRY BECAUSE
THEYRE IN SO MUCH DANGER.
CANT WE EXTEND THIS BEYOND THE
SIP PROGRAM FOR THOSE
TRANSLATORS WHO ACTUALLY WORKED
FOR THE U.S. MILITARY QUALIFY?
>> I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE A
SEPARATE PROGRAM.
THIS IS VERY SPECIFIC TO THE
U.S. MILITARY.
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO FOUGHT
ALONGSIDE AND LED WITH US.
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO CARRIED
AMERICAN TRAPS WHEN THEY WERE
WOUNDED OUT OF HARMS WAY.
THESE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE GIVEN
MORE FOR AMERICA AND IN MANY
CASES BLED FOR AMERICA EVEN
BEFORE THEY BECOME AMERICAN
CITIZENS.
THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE THINGS.
I AGREE.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHATEVER WE
CAN DO WITH HUMAN RIGHTS
ACTIVISTS AND THE LIKE, BUT AS
FAR AS TRANSLATORS AND THOSE WHO
WORK WITH AMERICAN TROOPS, WE
MADE A PROMISE SPECIFICALLY THAT
WE WOULD NOT LEAVE THEM BEHIND.
THAT WAS A PROMISE THAT THE
UNITED STATES MADE TO THEM IN
EXCHANGE FOR THEM WORKING WITH
US.
IF WE DONT KEEP OUR PROMISES,
NOT ONLY ARE WE LETTING DOWN
PEOPLE WHO SERVED US, BUT NO ONE
WILL EVER WORK WITH AMERICAN
AGAIN THAT SAY TRUST US, THEYLL
SAY LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID WITH