Senate panel grants more visas for Afghans who supported US
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel decided Wednesday to provide an additional 4,000 visas to allow Afghans who sided with the American-led coalition and are at risk of being killed or injured by the Taliban to resettle in the United States.
Shaheen and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, had sought earlier this month to extend and expand the visa program by adding an amendment to the annual defense policy bill.
Congress has added 7,000 visas to the program over the last two years alone to meet the demand and the Obama administration requested 4,000 more for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Since December 2014, the State Department has issued more than 3,000 special immigrant visas to Afghans who worked for the coalition.