HJR 13: Urging the President of the United States to expand evacuation efforts for applicants with approved Special Immigrant Visas, including resumption of evacuation flights organized by the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts; urging the United States Department of State to secure legal protections and humanitarian assistance for Special Immigrant Visa applicants; and requesting that the United States Secretary of State provide a report to Congress regarding efforts to reinstate evacuation flights for applicants with approved Special Immigrant Visas.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 13 01 Urging the President of the United States to expand evacuation efforts for applicants 02 with approved Special Immigrant Visas, including resumption of evacuation flights 03 organized by the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts; urging the United States 04 Department of State to secure legal protections and humanitarian assistance for Special 05 Immigrant Visa applicants; and requesting that the United States Secretary of State 06 provide a report to Congress regarding efforts to reinstate evacuation flights for 07 applicants with approved Special Immigrant Visas. 08 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 09 WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, the United States experienced an unprecedented 10 terrorist attack in which nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost, leading to the nation's 11 commitment to dismantle terrorist networks and ensure global security; and 12 WHEREAS, in response to the September 11 attacks, the United States launched 13 Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001, marking the beginning of the United States- 14 led mission in Afghanistan to eliminate Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime, which had
01 provided sanctuary to terrorist operatives; and 02 WHEREAS, on January 6, 2006, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 03 Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163) was enacted, including sec. 1059, which formally established the 04 Special Immigrant Visa program as part of the Afghan Allies Protection Act; and 05 WHEREAS the Special Immigrant Visa program provided a pathway for Iraqi and 06 Afghan nationals who worked as translators or interpreters for United States military forces to 07 apply for permanent United States residency, recognizing their vital contributions and 08 ensuring their protection; and 09 WHEREAS, on January 28, 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 10 Year 2008 (P.L. 110-181) was enacted, incorporating the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 11 under Subtitle C (secs. 1241 - 1249), which expanded the Special Immigrant Visa program to 12 recognize the significant threats faced by Iraqi and Afghan allies who served the United States 13 government, military, and contractors by allowing more Iraqi and Afghan allies to become 14 eligible for visas, ensuring broader protections and a pathway to permanent residency in the 15 United States; and 16 WHEREAS, on March 11, 2009, the Afghan Allies Protection Act was enacted as 17 sec. 602(b) of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), which established a 18 dedicated Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghan nationals, distinct from the Iraqi 19 program, and authorized the issuance of 7,500 visas over five years to Afghan allies who 20 provided faithful and valuable service to the United States government; and 21 WHEREAS the number of visas authorized for Afghans by the Special Immigrant 22 Visa program has since been increased, through amendments by Congress, to a total of more 23 than 50,500 visas; and 24 WHEREAS the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts in the United States 25 Department of State is responsible for implementing sec. 2502 of the Extending Government 26 Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43), which authorized the 27 emergency evacuation and resettlement of Afghan allies following the withdrawal of the 28 United States from Afghanistan; and 29 WHEREAS many Afghan Americans who have served alongside our service 30 members and have already entered the United States through blue passports, green cards, or 31 approved Special Immigrant Visas may still be trying to reunite with spouses and children
01 who remain stranded in Afghanistan or Pakistan; 02 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the President of the 03 United States to direct the United States Secretary of State to immediately resume evacuation 04 flights organized by the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts to transport applicants 05 with approved Special Immigrant Visas and their families from Afghanistan to designated 06 third-party country processing centers; and be it 07 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the President of the 08 United States to direct the United States Secretary of State to expedite and expand the 09 evacuation of applicants with approved Special Immigrant Visas and their families from third- 10 party host countries to the United States, ensuring timely processing and resettlement; and be 11 it 12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 13 Department of State to resume processing stalled applications by Afghan allies who have 14 approved Special Immigrant Visas for the evacuation of their families from third-party host 15 countries to the United States, thus preventing Afghan allies and their families from being 16 separated indefinitely; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 18 Department of State to secure legal protections and humanitarian assistance for Special 19 Immigrant Visa applicants stranded in third-party host countries, preventing forced 20 deportations or detentions; and be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 22 Secretary of State to provide a report to Congress within 60 days after receiving this 23 resolution, detailing efforts to reinstate evacuation flights for applicants with approved 24 Special Immigrant Visas and their families, including efforts to overcome logistical barriers 25 and conduct diplomatic negotiations. 26 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 27 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and 28 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 29 Representatives; the Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 30 Honorable Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State; Mara Tekach, Coordinator for 31 Afghan Relocation Efforts; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan
01 Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. Representative, members of 02 the Alaska delegation in Congress.