Lawmakers reintroduced the Afghan Adjustment Act (S. 2327/H.R.4627) allowing Afghans who sought refuge in the United States to apply for permanent legal residence after undergoing additional vetting.
Many Afghans with “humanitarian parole status” live in uncertainty. Currently, Afghans who were admitted on this temporary humanitarian status can apply for permanent legal status through asylum or the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, however, both are severely backlogged. Afghans are prevented from securing the stability they seek by these complications.
The Afghan Adjustment Act is modeled after other adjustment acts and provides Afghans with parole a way to adjust their immigration status in addition to building on efforts to protect at-risk Afghans in Afghanistan.
Many people have helped a neighbor adjust to a new life in an unfamiliar place. Reflecting on leaders and congregations who have shown hospitality, the ELCA social message "Immigration" says: "They direct us to where Jesus said he is present: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me' (Matthew 25:35)." The ELCA has a long tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees and will continue seek fair and compassionate legislative solutions to the plight of those who don’t have immigration legal certainty (“Immigration”, p. 10).
Answer the call to help these newest neighbors! Encourage your member of Congress to support and pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.
[Posted: 7/27/2023; updated 5/31/2024]
