Immigrant Visa Extension for Afghan Interpreters Removed from NDAA

Over a year after U.S. forces left Afghanistan, the Special Immigrant Visa program designed to bring interpreters to safety is being eliminated, reports the Stars and Stripes.

The program is scheduled to end on Dec. 31, 2023.

Republicans removed language from the National Defense Authorization Act that would have extended the program past 2023.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has been a leading critic of the program since 2018.

Democrats, veterans’ groups, and refugee advocates strongly criticized the move.

Alternative bills providing similar opportunities for refuge to those who helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to be debated. Republicans continue to criticize such programs for insufficient security procedures.

Democrats have indicated plans to extend the program through standalone legislation or by attaching it to a larger funding bill.