Rule Change Dashes Hope for Afghan Military Allies Seeking Refuge in U.S.

[Valin]

Washington Free Beacon:

Former interpreters for American forces living in fear—and losing hope

Alana Goodman

February 16, 2016

 

Afghan translators who worked for the United States military could find themselves ineligible for U.S. visas due to a recent State Department decision that retroactively changed the requirements for applicants.

 

The rule change, which increased the minimum employment requirement for interpreters from one year of U.S. government service to two years of service, was passed by Congress in September 2015.

 

Advocates say the State Department has been applying this change retroactively to interpreters who submitted applications months or years before the rule was passed—a decision that could impact as many as 3,300 Afghan translators who are under threat from the Taliban.

 

“A legal game of semantics is going to potentially end up killing 3,300 veterans who have been left behind in Afghanistan,” said Matt Zeller, a former U.S. Army officer who runs the interpreter advocacy group No One Left Behind. “These guys met the requirements of the visas when they first applied, and the only reason they’re not here is because the U.S. government can’t get their act together and approve these visas on time.”

 

(Snip)