Representative Bera Statement on Afghanistan

Statement

Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) released the following statement on Afghanistan.

"I am closely following the heartbreaking situation in Afghanistan, including receiving regular updates from U.S. government officials. While there will be an appropriate time to examine the execution of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, our immediate focus must be on the safe evacuation of all Americans and our Afghan partners who assisted U.S. operations over the past two decades. As a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I strongly urge the Biden Administration to use all feasible diplomatic and military tools to ensure the safe evacuation of Americans and our Afghan partners.

Sacramento County is home to the most Afghan immigrants in the entire country. Many of these individuals are Special Immigrant Visa recipients who bravely risked their own safety to serve alongside our troops in combat as translators, interpreters, and contractors. I have pushed the Administration for months to expedite the Special Immigrant Visa process and evacuate our Afghan partners out of the country. The time has passed for this to happen. We must now move rapidly to get these men and women safely out of Afghanistan, or they will be hunted down and killed by the Taliban. I will continue to urge the Biden Administration, both in public and private, to meet the commitments we made to our Afghan partners who risked their lives to serve alongside our troops.

My office has been working around the clock to assist Americans trapped in Afghanistan, including our Afghan partners seeking a Special Immigrant Visa. If you or a loved one needs help evacuating Afghanistan, or need assistance with a Special Immigrant Visa or Immigrant Visa application, please reach out to my team at CA07.Casework@mail.house.gov. We are here to help."

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