Legislative Alert

This month marks four years since the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021, a pivotal moment in global history. In the days that followed, the world witnessed an extraordinary humanitarian effort: Operation Allies Refuge, the largest non-combatant evacuation in U.S. history. Over 124,000 people, the majority of them Afghan nationals, were airlifted to safety, including 79,000 evacuated by the U.S., with support from over 500 US air crews and 800 aircraft from more than 30 nations in just 17 days. 

Among the many heroic efforts was Operation Stork, which ensured the safe transport of pregnant evacuees (20% of all adult females)—three babies were born aboard C-17 aircraft during the operation. 

Following this, Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) brought approximately 90,000 Afghans to the United States, including 76,000 humanitarian parolees who underwent rigorous vetting by multiple federal agencies before being resettled throughout the US.

At International Institute of Los Angeles, we are proud to have played a vital role in this historic effort. Between October 2021 and February 2022, IILA welcomed nearly 900 Afghan evacuees and Special Immigrant Visa holders to the Greater Los Angeles area. 

In one unforgettable four-day stretch in November 2021, our team received 250 arrivals from U.S. military bases. With little advance notice, our staff and volunteers sprang into action—securing temporary housing, arranging transportation, and delivering groceries across multiple counties. 

Today, IILA continues to support over 500 Afghan clients across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, helping these families build new lives. We have submitted asylum applications for nearly 400 parolees—almost all of which have been approved. 

We are proud to report that the majority of our Afghan clients now have green cards, are gainfully employed, and are thriving in their new communities. Their resilience and contributions have enriched the fabric of Southern California. 

We recognize, however, that many Afghans now living in the U.S. continue to face uncertainty because they lack lawful permanent status. We urge our community to call on federal representatives to support the recently reintroduced bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act (H.R. 4895) and the newly introduced Enduring Welcome Act of 2025 (H.R. 4995). Together, these bills would provide eligible Afghans a pathway to permanent residency, ease the strain on the backlogged asylum system, and strengthen long-term support for resettled Afghans through the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE).

Thank you for standing with us and with our Afghan allies. Together, we continue to build a stronger, more compassionate community.

1. EMAIL YOUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

Go to https://democracy.io/#!/ and enter your address. After clicking submit, you will see your representatives listed. Choose all or only select representatives. Then click “Write to Them”. The next screen will be a form where you can enter your message. In addition to the suggested text below, be sure to add personalized comments.

“My name is [insert your name] and I am a veteran [or “constituent”] writing to urge you to support passage of two bipartisan, bicameral bills: the Enduring Welcome Act and the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA). This is urgent—lives are at stake.

Proper treatment of Afghan allies is not only a moral imperative, it is also vital to U.S. national security. Future partners in conflict are closely watching how we treat Afghans who stood by our servicemembers.

A majority of Afghan allies in the U.S. have only been granted temporary humanitarian parole. Until the Afghan Adjustment Act is passed, those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American forces face an uncertain future. The Enduring Welcome Act complements this effort by making the State Department’s Afghan Relocation Office permanent, fixing family reunification barriers, and requiring accountability through regular reporting to Congress.

[If you are a veteran, or are connected to Afghans or Afghanistan, this is a good place to optionally include 2–3 sentences about why this is important to you personally.]

The Afghan Adjustment Act follows the legislative precedent set for Cubans in the 1960s, Southeast Asians after the Vietnam War, and Iraqis in the 1990s and beyond, by providing an expedited pathway to legal permanent resident status for eligible Afghan allies. It also requires extensive security vetting as part of the application for adjustment of status.

Together, these two bills—the Enduring Welcome Act and the Afghan Adjustment Act—deliver on America’s promises, strengthen national security, and protect those who once protected us.

I strongly urge you to ensure their prompt passage.”

Suggested text provided by #AfghanEvac on their action template.

2. AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Share this message with political leaders on social media! To find your legislator’s social media accounts, visit Commoncause.org and enter your address. Then narrow results by Federal, State, or Local officials and click on your desired platform to view their handles. Create posts and videos expressing your message and tag your officials’ accounts.