Operation Recovery and Partners Advocate for Afghan Allies’ Support in Bipartisan Plea to U.S. Senators for Immediate Legislative Action

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: Expressing Support for the Inclusion of Afghan Adjustment in the Emergency National
Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024

“An entire generation of Afghan allies grew up believing in American ideals of freedom and democracy.
Our allies are now paying for their service with bloodshed.”

Elizabeth Lynn, Operation Recovery

It has been over two years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation of over 80,000
Afghans to the United States; however, the lives of our brave wartime allies remain imperiled. Legislation
providing adjustment of status for Afghans in the U.S. and support to the nearly 150,000 Afghan allies
still abroad is vital, and we cannot continue to miss opportunities to include critical provisions in the few
legislative vehicles available. As Congress considers the defense supplemental, The American Legion,
No One Left Behind, Operation Recovery, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and With Honor Action
strongly support the swift passage of legislation that will adjust the status of our Afghan allies and
assist those still in Afghanistan and third countries. We urge all Senators to support such legislation’s
inclusion in the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 and to support
passage of the bill.

Providing a path to permanent, legal residency has broad political support, as evidenced by bipartisan
legislation like the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Afghan Allies Protection Act, as well as national
polling showing nearly 90% support amongst Americans for fulfilling our promises to our Afghan allies.
Providing legal residency to our allies after they are fully vetted is a moral and national security
imperative. Congress has failed over the last two years to pass necessary legislation. Political infighting
and partisan acrimony have made passing bipartisan legislation increasingly difficult, but our allies can no
longer be casualties of this inaction. Therefore, we strongly support the swift passage of the proposed
defense supplemental package and its inclusion of Afghan adjustment.

After two decades of service alongside American troops, there is no population in the world more
deserving of American support. The nearly 80,000 Afghans who were evacuated to the United States are
building new lives upon trapdoors, and the nearly 150,000 allies left behind face persecution, oppression,
and, at worst, execution by the Taliban because they worked with the American military and trusted us to
keep them safe. Despite their loyalty and shared sacrifices, the Afghans we evacuated during the fall of
Kabul remain in a debilitating legal limbo in the United States while the Taliban hunt down their
colleagues, family members, and loved ones. To correct this moral injury, we must support our Afghan
allies – both those here in the United States and those trapped abroad. Thousands of lives are at stake, and
so is our sacred honor as a nation.

Sincerely,

American Legion, No One Left Behind, Operation Recovery, Veterans of Foreign Wars, With Honor

Operation Recovery is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting, sustaining, and enabling those connected to service, diplomacy, and humanitarian development, fostering lasting resilience and growth.

Contact:

Elizabeth Lynn, Director of Government Affairs, [email protected]