"This program is the lifeline for interpreters and others who risked their lives to work with the US government,"
The House and Senate approved legislation to extend a program that provides visas to Iraqis who worked for the U.S. government during the war. The program had been set to expire on October 1.
Thousands of Iraqis are eligible for the Special Immigrant Visa program, and while it and the State Department’s program for Afghan translators have seen extensive delays and bureaucratic quagmires for applicants, the five-year extension of the program could save entire families.
“This program is the lifeline for interpreters and others who risked their lives to work with the US government, and would have ended without last night’s vote,” Michael Breen, co-founder of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project said in a statement. “We made a commitment to those who served alongside our troops and now, because of this legislation, thousands of people who would have been stranded in Iraq, targeted by terrorist organizations along with their families for their work with us, will now have safe passage to security and the new beginning they’ve earned in America.”
Iraq has seen a massive spike in violence in recent months, leading to the deadliest period in the country since 2008.
Congress will have to reauthorize the program that provides visas to Afghan translators next year, although delays and a lack of transparency in that program have led some soldiers to petition for improvements to be made to the process now. One former translator was recently granted visas for himself and his family, only to see them revoked days later without explanation.
