RCUSA applauds passage of FY22 CR, calls on Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act

Washington, DC — Yesterday, Congress passed a Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Continuing Resolution (CR), which, once signed by President Biden, will fund the federal government through December 3rd. This legislation includes essential provisions to support our Afghan allies and friends. Importantly, this legislation authorizes arriving Afghans to receive refugee resettlement services and provides supplemental funding to equip the resettlement community with the resources it needs to help Afghan arrivals integrate and thrive.

“We applaud Congress for including the needs of vulnerable Afghans within the continuing resolution,” said John Slocum, Interim Executive Director for RCUSA. “Resettlement services provide essential  tools for service providers and volunteers across the country to use in welcoming our new community members. These services will go a long way toward helping Afghan arrivals establish themselves in their new homes. While we celebrate this important move, we also call on Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which will  uphold the US legacy of responsibility and welcome by providing the opportunity for vulnerable Afghans to become legal permanent residents in the United States.”

Refugee resettlement services include access to healthcare, emergency housing, English language instruction, job training, and intensive case management. Other provisions include expediting the asylum applications of humanitarian parolees from Afghanistan and making it possible for them to obtain a driver’s license or identification card under the REAL ID Act of 2005.

This is an important step toward welcoming at-risk Afghans. RCUSA calls on Congress to pass a bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act in upcoming must-pass legislation and hold the Biden administration accountable to ongoing evacuations to the US for those overseas, including in Afghanistan and other host countries, creating a categorical parole program for Afghan nationals, and waiving all application fees associated with humanitarian parole applications.

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

Media Contact: Sarah Seniuk, sseniuk@rcusa.org