World Relief Praises Re-Introduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Stand with Afghan Allies, Urges Swift Passage

Contact: wr@pinkston.co

(Baltimore, MD) August 7, 2025 – In the past few days, bipartisan bills were reintroduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to allow Afghans who currently rely upon temporary legal protections to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident status after undergoing strict vetting procedures. 

World Relief is thankful for the newly-introduced legislation, known in the U.S. Senate as the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act and in the House of Representatives as the Afghan Adjustment Act. World Relief also thanks President Trump for his recent public commitment, in response to a reporter’s question, to “take care of those people” who have stood alongside the U.S. military in Afghanistan, with appropriate exceptions for the small share who may not merit U.S. support. 

This important legislative effort acknowledges the plight of Afghan nationals who faced an urgent threat of persecution under the Taliban, including many who have worked tirelessly alongside the United States military, diplomatic missions, and non-governmental organizations, risking their lives to support the cause of peace and stability. Others faced persecution on account of their status as Christians or other religious minorities. We are grateful that they have found refuge in the United States – but many still have only temporary legal protections in the U.S. that bear expiration dates.

“In the roughly four years that have passed since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, World Relief has partnered with churches and communities to serve more than 10,000 Afghans who fled persecution,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “While most recent arrivals have arrived with indefinite refugee or Special Immigrant Visa statuses and thus are not generally at risk, many of the initial group of Afghans who arrived beginning in 2021 still rely upon humanitarian parole, which is a temporary legal protection that could lapse or be terminated.“

These proposals would allow certain Afghans with temporary legal status to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident status without needing to rely upon woefully backlogged legal processes for asylum or Special Immigrant Visas. The bills also appropriately would subject Afghans to additional vetting and screening before they would be granted permanent legal status, accomplishing the goals President Trump recently set out. The bills were sponsored by Senators Murkowski (R-AK), Klobuchar (D-MN) and Coons (D-DE) in the U.S. Senate and by Representatives Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Crow (D-CO) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We’re so thankful that our congresswoman, Rep. Miller-Meeks, has persistently championed this cause,” said Jen Osing, office director of World Relief Quad Cities in Davenport, Iowa. “We’re praying this bill will move quickly through both chambers of Congress and be signed by the president, which will be a profound relief to the Afghan neighbors who have been so enthusiastically embraced by the broader community here in the Quad Cities.”

A poll conducted earlier this year by Lifeway Research found that roughly three-quarters of evangelical voters — including 74 percent of evangelicals who voted for President Trump last November — support the core principles of this newly-introduced legislation. 

“We are grateful for the strong bipartisan leadership in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, demonstrating that Congress can still work together on common sense policy solutions, and for President Trump’s commitment to ensure that our country stands with our allies,” said Matthew Soerens, Vice President of Advocacy & Policy for World Relief. “We urge Congress to act immediately to pass this legislation into law and urge the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that Afghans allowed to enter the U.S. with humanitarian parole are able to remain in lawful status and authorized to work until Congress provides permanent protections, without interruption.”World Relief also continues to urge Congress and the administration to pursue permanent legal solutions for other vulnerable immigrants who have entered the country lawfully after fleeing stark humanitarian conditions in their countries of origin, including individuals from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Ukraine whose humanitarian parole protections have already been or could be terminated. World Relief has created easy-to-use online tools to equip Americans motivated by their faith to advocate with their congressional representatives for these legislative solutions.