Biden administration expands access to refugee program for Afghans who worked with US
CNN
The State Department announced Monday that it will expand access to the US refugee program for certain Afghans amid fears of reprisal by the Taliban as the US military withdrawal nears completion.
The process of applying for the Special Immigrant Visa program to come to the United States can take years, however, and of the 20,000 people in the SIV pipeline, about 10,000 have only just begun the process, the State Department said in recent weeks. Violence in Afghanistan has escalated over the last few weeks, leading lawmakers, advocates and non-profit groups to raise concerns that the Biden administration would not be able to relocate SIV applicants who helped American troops and diplomats quickly enough.
The special counsel stressed his decision was not about the strength of his case against Trump
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