The month of March represented the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq war. The war was declared over in late 2011, but its effects will linger for quite some time.

One advocacy group, The List Project, says it this way: “Although the war is officially over for the American public, Iraqis who formerly assisted our troops, diplomats, and aid workers are still in grave danger. Our mission continues to help as many possible.”

In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 authorized the Special Immigrant Visa program. This allowed certain Iraq (and then in a separate act, Afghanistan) nationals who provided “faithful and valuable service” to the U.S. government to obtain a visa in order to escape the “ongoing serious threat” of remaining in their homeland.

The 5-year program is over as of FY2013, although less than a quarter of the originally-allotted 25,000 visas have been accounted for. Some visas still remain in backlog, yet to be processed and approved.

Although the Special Immigrant Visa program is not often addressed during talks of comprehensive immigration reform, special interest groups are still advocating for it.

In fact, 19 members of the U.S. House of Representatives (several of whom are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars) recently submitted a letter to President Obama, asking for an extension of the program.

Supporters of the Special Immigrant Visa program have a few main concerns:

  • The program is ending, but there may be many more Iraq and Afghanistan nationals who are in danger because of their service to the U.S.
  • The backlog of applications means that applicants are waiting even longer in areas of potential danger to themselves and their families.
  • For the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, there are no provisions for children over 21 or other family members who might face danger because of the applicant’s service.

You can read the letter in its entirety here.

Of the 19 signatories of the letter to President Obama, 2 were from Illinois. One of those, Adam Kinzinger (R), agrees: “The Iraq and Afghan Special Immigration Visa (SIV) programs are an important way to express our appreciation to those willing to risk their lives in defense of our country. We must uphold the commitment made by the U.S. to the Iraqi and Afghan men and women who served and protected our nation.

To voice your support or concern about the Special Immigrant Visa program, you can contact your local Representatives.

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