The Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would remove or revise some statutory requirements in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process and designed to expedite the SIV process and increase the total number of visas available by several thousand.[1]
| Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021 | |
| Fullname: | To amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to expedite the special immigrant visa process for certain Afghan allies, and for other purposes. |
| Introduced In The: | 117th |
| Number Of Co-Sponsors: | 74 |
| Introducedin: | House of Representatives |
| Leghisturl: | https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3985/actions |
| Introducedbill: | H.R. 3985 |
| Introduceddate: | June 17, 2021 |
| Introducedby: | Jason Crow (D–CO) |
| Committees: | United States House Committee on the Judiciary |
In a press release, sponsor Jason Crow (D-CO) listed aims of the Act:[2]
The Biden administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy on the ALLIES Act, stating, “This legislation supports the President’s goal of ensuring the United States meets our commitments to those who served with us in Afghanistan… H.R. 3985 will assist in our efforts to streamline the application process by removing or revising some statutory requirements the Administration has found to be unnecessary and burdensome, while maintaining appropriate security vetting, and by increasing the total number of visas available to help meet the demand. These changes...are critical to expediting the application process and helping us get more Afghan partners through the process and into safety.”
The ALLIES Act has the support of high ranking national security, defense, and foreign policy individuals, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Chuck Hagel, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Admiral Michael Mullen, former National Security Advisors Stephen J. Hadley and retired Lt. General H. R. McMaster.
The ALLIES Act has also been endorsed by The American Legion, No One Left Behind, The National Immigration Forum, Union Veterans Council, VoteVets, Human Rights First, Vets for American Ideals, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), Military Chaplains Association of the United States of America (MCA), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Reserve Officers of America (ROA), Korean War Veterans Association, American Ex-Prisoners of War, Association of Wartime Allies, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), and Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA).