S.Amdt. 4298

SA 4298. Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Ms. Ernst) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr.
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle B of title XII, insert the
following:

SEC. 1216. SUPPORT FOR NATIONALS OF AFGHANISTAN WHO ARE
APPLICANTS FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS OR FOR
REFERRAL TO THE UNITED STATES REFUGEE
ADMISSIONS PROGRAM.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the United States should increase support for nationals of
Afghanistan who aided the United States mission in
Afghanistan during the past 20 years and are now under threat
from the Taliban, specifically such nationals of Afghanistan,
in Afghanistan or third countries, who are applicants for--
(1) special immigrant visas under the Afghan Allies
Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 111-8)
or section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2006 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 109-163); or
(2) referral to the United States Refugee Admissions
Program as refugees (as defined in section 101(a)(42) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42))),
including as Priority 2 refugees.
(b) Support for Nationals of Afghanistan.--The Secretary of
State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland
Security and the heads of other relevant Federal departments
and agencies, shall--
(1) prioritize for evacuation from Afghanistan nationals of
Afghanistan described in subsection (a);
(2) facilitate the rapid departure from Afghanistan of such
nationals of Afghanistan by air charter and land passage;
(3) provide letters of support, diplomatic notes, and other
documentation, as appropriate, to ease transit for such
nationals of Afghanistan;
(4) engage governments of relevant countries to better
facilitate evacuation of such nationals of Afghanistan;
(5) disseminate frequent updates to such nationals of
Afghanistan and relevant nongovernmental organizations with
respect to evacuation from Afghanistan;
(6) identify or establish sufficient locations outside
Afghanistan that will accept such nationals of Afghanistan
during application processing; and
(7) increase capacity to better support such nationals of
Afghanistan and reduce their application processing times,
while ensuring strict and necessary security vetting,
including, to the extent practicable, by allowing such
nationals of Afghanistan to receive referrals to the United
States Refugee Admissions Program while they are still in
Afghanistan so as to initiate application processing more
expeditiously.
(c) Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the
heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies,
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a
strategy for the safe processing abroad of nationals of
Afghanistan described in subsection (a).
(2) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall
include steps to be taken by the United States Government to
fulfill each requirement under subsection (b).
(3) Form.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
(d) Monthly Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and monthly thereafter until
December 31, 2022, the Secretary of State, in coordination
with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the heads of
other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit
to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on efforts
to support nationals of Afghanistan described in subsection
(a).
(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) The number of nationals of Afghanistan referred to the
United States Refugee Admissions Program as Priority 1 and
Priority 2 refugees since August 29, 2021.
(B) An assessment of whether each such refugee--
(i) remains in Afghanistan; or
(ii) is outside Afghanistan.
(C) With respect to nationals of Afghanistan who have
applied for referral to the United States Refugee Program,
the number applications that--
(i) have been approved;
(ii) have been denied; and
(iii) are pending adjudication.
(D) The number of nationals of Afghanistan who have pending
applications for special immigrant visas described in
subsection (a)(1), disaggregated by the special immigrant
visa processing steps completed with respect to such
individuals.
(E) A description of the measures taken to implement the
strategy under subsection (c).
(3) Form.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
(e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs; and the Committee on Armed Services of
the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the
Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
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