Lawmakers frustrated over White House's ‘total lack’ of urgency in helping Afghan interpreters

[rangerrebew]

Lawmakers frustrated over White House's ‘total lack’ of urgency in helping Afghan interpreters

Afghans who aided U.S. troops are in danger of being hunted down by the Taliban.
 

“The day the last U.S. soldier goes wheels up out of Bagram air base, we’ve handed these people a death sentence,” Rep. Michael Waltz said in an interview. | AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

By LARA SELIGMAN

05/18/2021 04:25 PM EDT

House lawmakers are increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s lack of progress in expediting special immigrant visas for thousands of Afghans who have worked with the U.S. as the deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country gets closer.

Lawmakers “have been completely underwhelmed by the total lack of a sense of urgency, or a plan” to prioritize the safety of the thousands of Afghan interpreters and others who qualify for such visas and who will be hunted down by the Taliban if the Biden administration does not take action, said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a former Green Beret who worked with Afghan interpreters during his deployment.

“The day the last U.S. soldier goes wheels up out of Bagram air base, we’ve handed these people a death sentence,” Waltz said in an interview.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/18/lawmakers-visas-afghans-us-troops-489290

[rangerrebew]

If something doesn't deal with "climate change," cancelling a Trump program, immigration, raising taxes, or attacking America, Biden has absolutely no interest in the problem.

[mountaineer]

Aug. 2, 2021 UPDATE

‘Saving Afghan Interpreters’ is a Scam That Would Bring 100,000 Afghans to the U.S.
Americans will have resettled an entire Tallahassee or Chattanooga worth of "interpreters".
 Daniel Greenfield  3 hours ago

Getting the United States out of Afghanistan is relatively easy compared to getting Afghanistan out of America. The latest stage of the withdrawal is accompanied by frantic calls to “save Afghan interpreters” coming from the same media that also wants us out of Afghanistan.

But what’s the use of leaving Afghanistan if we’re going to bring it with us to America?

The “interpreter” scam is one of the longest running immigration hoaxes on record.

Before the withdrawal, there were some 2,500 American soldiers in Afghanistan. After the withdrawal, there are around 600 soldiers left behind.

And there are 20,000 Afghan “interpreters” applying for SIVs or Special Immigrant Visas.

How can there be 20,000 interpreters for 2,500 soldiers? ...

What’s the cost of all this to Americans?

The “interpreters” function more like refugees and “are eligible for the same resettlement assistance and federal public benefits as refugees”. In the past, 85% of SIV migrants, in partial numbers at least 60,000, received refugee aid and were resettled across the country.

The media claims that SIV migrants will quickly be able to adapt and adjust. Government data however shows that 60% of SIV migrants remained unemployed after 90 days, including 58% of those with “good spoken English” and 65% of those with “post-secondary education”. ...

Full story at Politichicks

[PeteS in CA]

And there are 20,000 Afghan “interpreters” applying for SIVs or Special Immigrant Visas.

How can there be 20,000 interpreters for 2,500 soldiers? ...

Just a WAG, but maybe those 20,000 were interpreters at various times over the 20 years in which US troops were stationed and fighting in Afghanistan and in far greater numbers than the current 2,500?

Who are "Politichicks" and why the ridiculous "reasoning" quoted above?

[mountaineer]

Politichicks is a conservative opinion site, as should be apparent.

The essay notes:

But the vast majority of “interpreters” aren’t interpreters. They were “Afghan allies” working in some capacity with or for the United States. While the media keeps talking about 20,000 “interpreters” embedded with American forces, hardly any of the SIV applicants fall into that category. Applicants didn’t even have to work for the United States. They could have worked for any of the over 50 countries taking part in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Not to mention any of the local subcontractors or aid groups that were being funded by the United States.

[Cyber Liberty]

Shortbus Joe isn't about to help people he considers traitors of his beloved Taliban and Al-Qaeda.  Democrats are noted supporters of Islamic terrorists.  I call them, "Islamophiles."

[GtHawk]

Biden is probably confusing Afghanistan with Vietnam and just doing the same thing the congress/senate did when they screwed the Vietnamese over promises made.

[skeeter]

Can’t be certain how how these folks will vote.

[Fishrrman]

We don't need, nor should we want, 20,000 more Afghans, interpreters or not.
We don't need, nor should we want, 2,000 more Afghans, interpreters or not.

Sorry...
We don't need, nor should we want, ANY muslims more than are here now.

They should either stay in Afghanistan and fight, or seek shelter elsewhere in the Arab world.