More than 70,000 refugees from Afghanistan could have their temporary status extended under a new plan that allows them to reapply for parole, or re-parole, according to the Biden administration.
“Under parole, which is a tool that provides only limited protections, limited benefits, access to work authorization, but it’s temporary, only last two years. And now we’re 2 years out from the evacuation, which occurred in the fall of 2021. So many Afghan parolees are facing the pending expiration of their parole,” said Danilo Zak, the associate director of policy and advocacy at Church World Service.
Church World Service has been working to reach as many Afghan parolees as it can, to help them through the arduous reapplication process. But some advocates say the American government owes them permanent status because of the role they played in helping the U.S. military in Afghanistan. A bipartisan bill, the Afghanistan Adjustment Act, that would provide special immigrant status for those Afghan parolees is stalled in Congress. Some Republicans say they haven’t been vetted enough to provide that permanent status.
