Last week, the House overwhelmingly passed in a 407-16 vote the Afghan Allies Act, which will authorize an additional 8,000 special immigrant visas for our Afghan allies.  This bill would remove burdensome application requirements that slow the application process with no impact on national security, and increase the number of these visas so more of our allies can come to safety. The passage of the Allies Act comes as details emerge on the first arrival of our Afghan allies to U.S. territory. The Biden administration plans to fly approximately 750 SIV applicants and their families who have completed security vetting to Fort Lee, Virginia by the end of this week. While this represents just 4% of the Afghans in the SIV pipeline who need our protection, it is an important first step toward bringing Afghans who risked their lives for U.S. forces to safety in the U.S. 

Human Rights First urged the Biden administration to likewise evacuate our remaining allies to U.S. territory.