Fulfilling Our Duty to Afghan and Iraqi Interpreters Is a Matter of Honor—and of National Security
Douglas Livermore | 04.13.21
Throughout the nearly two decades of America’s post-9/11 wars, most Americans have been largely oblivious to the bureaucratic plight of and physical dangers faced by Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who apply to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. The State Department’s SIV program, which was originally created to allow individuals who “provided faithful and valuable service to the United States” to apply for and receive special consideration for immigration, has long been plagued by inefficiencies, under resourcing, indifferent and complacent execution, and unconscionable delays in the processing of applications. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University recently published a scathing report by Noah Coburn highlighting the lack of progress in addressing the SIV program’s many shortcomings. Reforming the SIV program is an American moral obligation and is vitally important to our national security.
The lack of a coherent, effective strategy to support these workers, and the failure to implement the program as originally envisioned, leaves applicants stranded in Afghanistan or elsewhere and vulnerable to attacks by the Taliban and criminal groups, as well as other forms of exploitation.
— Noah Coburn
https://mwi.usma.edu/fulfilling-our-duty-to-afghan-and-iraqi-interpreters-is-a-matter-of-honor-and-of-national-security/
