Biden admn preparing to relocate Afghans who helped US

The Biden administration is stepping up preparation for relocating tens of thousands of Afghan interpreters and others who worked with US forces during the war to other countries as their applications for US entry are processed, a senior administration official said Thursday. The official said planning has accelerated in recent days to relocate Afghans, and their families, who assisted Americans during the nearly 20-year-old war to other countries or US territories as their applications are sorted out. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet to be publicly announced plans. The White House began to brief lawmakers on the outlines of their plans on Wednesday.

The official said the administration has already begun to identify a group of interpreters to be relocated outside of Afghanistan before US completes its drawdown by September.Those individuals have already begun the process of applying for special immigrant visas available to Afghans who have worked with the US. The official stressed that administration relocation efforts would comply with US consular law and would be coordinated with Congress. With US and NATO forces facing a Sept. 11 deadline to leave Afghanistan, the Biden administration has faced increased pressure from lawmakers, veterans and others to evacuate thousands of Afghans who worked as interpreters or who otherwise helped US military operations there in the past two decades. The official added that the administration is looking to work with Congress to find quick fixes to make the application process more efficient including eliminating duplicative paperwork and adjusting requirements that do not impact national security.