Enrolled 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; urging the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States Department of Homeland Security to expedite the review of applications for Special Immigrant Visas; 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.
00Enrolled HJR 13 01 Urging the President of the United States to expand evacuation efforts for applicants with 02 approved Special Immigrant Visas, including resumption of evacuation flights organized by 03 the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts; urging the United States Department of State 04 to secure legal protections and humanitarian assistance for Special Immigrant Visa applicants; 05 urging the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States 06 Department of Homeland Security to expedite the review of applications for Special 07 Immigrant Visas; and requesting that the United States Secretary of State provide a report to 08 Congress regarding efforts to reinstate evacuation flights for applicants with approved Special 09 Immigrant Visas. 10 _______________ 11 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 12 WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, the United States experienced an unprecedented 13 terrorist attack in which nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost, leading to the nation's 14 commitment to dismantle terrorist networks and ensure global security; and 15 WHEREAS, in response to the September 11 attacks, the United States launched 16 Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001, marking the beginning of the United States- 17 led mission in Afghanistan to eliminate al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime, which had 18 provided sanctuary to terrorist operatives; and 19 WHEREAS, on January 6, 2006, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
01 Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163) was enacted, including sec. 1059, which formally established the 02 Special Immigrant Visa program as part of the Afghan Allies Protection Act; and 03 WHEREAS the Special Immigrant Visa program provided a pathway for Iraqi and 04 Afghan nationals who worked as translators or interpreters for United States military forces to 05 apply for permanent United States residency, recognizing their vital contributions and 06 ensuring their protection; and 07 WHEREAS, on January 28, 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 08 Year 2008 (P.L. 110-181) was enacted, incorporating the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 09 under Subtitle C (secs. 1241 - 1249), which expanded the Special Immigrant Visa program to 10 recognize the significant threats faced by Iraqi and Afghan allies who served the United States 11 government, military, and contractors by allowing more Iraqi and Afghan allies to become 12 eligible for visas, ensuring broader protections and a pathway to permanent residency in the 13 United States; and 14 WHEREAS, on March 11, 2009, the Afghan Allies Protection Act was enacted as 15 sec. 602(b) of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), which established a 16 dedicated Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghan nationals, distinct from the Iraqi 17 program, and authorized the issuance of 7,500 visas over five years to Afghan allies who 18 provided faithful and valuable service to the United States government; and 19 WHEREAS the number of visas authorized for Afghans by the Special Immigrant 20 Visa program has since been increased, through amendments by Congress, to a total of more 21 than 50,500 visas; and 22 WHEREAS the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts in the United States 23 Department of State is responsible for implementing sec. 2502 of the Extending Government 24 Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43), which authorized the 25 emergency evacuation and resettlement of Afghan allies following the withdrawal of the 26 United States from Afghanistan; and 27 WHEREAS many Afghan Americans who have served alongside our service 28 members and have already entered the United States through blue passports, green cards, or 29 approved Special Immigrant Visas may still be trying to reunite with spouses and children 30 who remain stranded in Afghanistan or Pakistan; 31 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the President of the
01 United States to direct the United States Secretary of State to immediately resume evacuation 02 flights organized by the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts to transport applicants 03 with approved Special Immigrant Visas and their families from Afghanistan to designated 04 third-party country processing centers; and be it 05 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the President of the 06 United States to direct the United States Secretary of State to expedite and expand the 07 evacuation of applicants with approved Special Immigrant Visas and their families from third- 08 party host countries to the United States, ensuring timely processing and resettlement; and be 09 it 10 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 11 Department of State to resume processing stalled applications by Afghan allies who have 12 approved Special Immigrant Visas for the evacuation of their families from third-party host 13 countries to the United States, thus preventing Afghan allies and their families from being 14 separated indefinitely; and be it 15 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 16 Citizenship and Immigration Services in the United States Department of Homeland Security 17 to expedite the review of pending applications for Special Immigrant Visas; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 19 Department of State to secure legal protections and humanitarian assistance for Special 20 Immigrant Visa applicants stranded in third-party host countries, preventing forced 21 deportations or detentions; and be it 22 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 23 Secretary of State to provide a report to Congress within 60 days after receiving this 24 resolution, detailing efforts to reinstate evacuation flights for applicants with approved 25 Special Immigrant Visas and their families, including efforts to overcome logistical barriers 26 and conduct diplomatic negotiations. 27 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 28 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and 29 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 30 Representatives; the Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 31 Honorable Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State; Mara Tekach, Coordinator for
01 Afghan Relocation Efforts, U.S. Department of State; Kika Scott, Acting Deputy Director of 02 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and 03 the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the 04 Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in 05 Congress.