Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
August 20, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are working alongside a bipartisan group of 53 senators to urge the Biden administration to enforce strategic agency coordination, hold the Hamid Karzai International Airport, and take any additional steps necessary—including assisting with the passage of individuals to the airport—to urgently evacuate Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and their families in addition to U.S. citizens. The letter comes as the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, and reports mount of violence perpetrated by Taliban fighters against protestors and people attempting to flee.
“The Taliban’s rapid ascendancy across Afghanistan and takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who helped us operate over the past twenty years and are counting on us for assistance. American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution,” the senators wrote in their letter to President Biden.
“Specifically, we urge continued coordination between the Departments of State and Defense to secure and hold Hamid Karzai International Airport, including to allow for the continuation of military flights and the resumption of commercial and charter flights. We also urge your Administration to assist with the passage of individuals to the airport to safety – both those within Kabul and those outside of the capital – as well as to consider cases where Afghans fleeing quickly may not have been able to collect or gather appropriate documents,” the senators added. “We were pleased that you immediately signed [our]…legislation to make extensive improvements to the SIV program into law three weeks ago, and now ask that you move just as quickly to ensure it is properly and fully implemented ensuring applicants and their families can get out of harm’s way.”
In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Shaheen (D-NH), Ernst (R-IA) Durbin (D-IL), Hassan (D-NH), Romney (R-UT), Reed (D-RI), Collins (R-ME), Leahy (D-VT), Graham (R-SC), Peters (D-MI), Rounds (R-SD), Menendez (D-NJ), Lummis (R-WY), Coons (D-DE), Sasse (R-NE), Warnock (D-GA), Cornyn (R-TX), Van Hollen (D-MD), Daines (R-MT), Duckworth (D-IL), Moran (R-KS), Gillibrand (D-NY), Marshall (R-KS), Markey (D-MA), Cardin (D-MD), Murphy (D-CT), Cortez Masto (D-NV), Stabenow (D-MI), Warren (D-MA), Kaine (D-VA), Manchin (D-WV), Hickenlooper (D-CO), Bennet (D-CO), Rosen (D-NV), Blumenthal (D-CT), Klobuchar (D-MN), Padilla (D-CA), Murray (D-WA), King (I-ME), Heinrich (D-NM), Whitehouse (D-RI), Feinstein (D-CA), Schatz (D-HI), Sanders (I-VT), Hirono (D-HI), Carper (D-DE), Lujan (D-NM), Smith (D-MN), Ossoff (D-GA), Tester (D-MT), Brown (D-OH), Kelly (D-AZ), Booker (D-NJ) and Warner (D-VA).
A copy of the letter is available here and follows below.