S.Amdt. 4861

SA 4861. Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. Graham, Ms. Ernst, Mr.
Coons, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Warnock) submitted an amendment intended to
be proposed to amendment SA 3867 proposed by Mr. Reed 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. STRATEGY TO SUPPORT 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.

[[Page S8835]]

(b) 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 a detailed plan--
(A) to prioritize for evacuation from Afghanistan nationals
of Afghanistan described in subsection (a);
(B) to provide for expedited initial security vetting for
such nationals of Afghanistan, to be conducted remotely
before their departure from Afghanistan;
(C) to facilitate, after such vetting, the rapid departure
from Afghanistan by air charter and land passage of such
nationals of Afghanistan who satisfy the requirements of such
vetting;
(D) to provide letters of support, diplomatic notes, and
other documentation, as appropriate, to ease transit for such
nationals of Afghanistan;
(E) to engage governments of relevant countries to better
facilitate evacuation of such nationals of Afghanistan;
(F) to disseminate frequent updates to such nationals of
Afghanistan and relevant nongovernmental organizations with
respect to evacuation from Afghanistan;
(G) to identify and establish sufficient locations outside
Afghanistan and the United States that will accept such
nationals of Afghanistan during case processing (including
during the processes of vetting and establishing the
eligibility of such nationals of Afghanistan before their
travel to the United States, which shall include any in-
person interview required for full adjudication of a case
and, in the case of a special immigrant visa, issuance of
such visa) for--
(i) the special immigrant visas described in paragraph (1)
of subsection (a); or
(ii) referral to, and acceptance for resettlement in the
United States by, the United States Refugee Admissions
Program described in paragraph (2) of that subsection;
(H) to identify necessary resource, personnel, and
equipment requirements to 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; and
(I) to provide for relocation outside Afghanistan to third
countries for nationals of Afghanistan described in
subsection (a) who are unable to successfully complete
security vetting and application processing to establish
eligibility to travel to the United States.
(3) Form.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
(c) 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 (b).
(d) 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.
______