As part of the SBC’s longstanding commitment to serving refugees, many Christians and churches were on the frontlines in welcoming thousands of our Afghan allies and other vulnerable Afghans evacuees following the fall of Afghanistan in 2021.
Because of the significant backlogs in the resettlement program and the urgency of the situation, these individuals were brought to the U.S. through a tool known as humanitarian parole. Many of these individuals helped our military at great risk to themselves and their families based on promises that they would receive visas to the U.S. Due to their expiring legal status, these individuals will either be added to the already significant asylum backlog, become undocumented, or return to Afghanistan and face intense persecution.
The Afghan Adjustment Act remedies this problem and provides a path to permanent legal status after additional vetting for these Afghan parolees. The ERLC supports this legislation and will be working for its passage this year, before many Afghans’ authorization expires in 2024.
A letter was sent to Members of Congress on July 13, 2023.
