From an earlier similar story, a comment (to the article, not HN) observes:
I’d like to point out that a lot of our young men are currently attempting to do the exact same thing as was described above for the Afghani translators who served with the US Army even at tremendous risk to their lives. They have sponsored them for visas since their lives, and those of their families, are increasingly at risk back in Afghanistan because of their work with the US. Many of these Afghani and Iraqi translators saved US American soldier lives, and made it possible for the our soldiers to work with the local populations when this was critical.
Unfortunately, even as American soldiers are working hard to bring their translators they worked with, along with their families, to the US, they’re running into a lot of red tape back in the US, even though we’ve only filled a fraction of the visas that Congress allotted for Iraqis and Afghans who served with the US Army and other branches.
I'd like to point out that following events of the 20th of this month, that red tape has turned into a solid wall as the US has frozen all asylum and refugee actions, including those of people already cleared to enter the US, many with flights already booked for entry.
This includes "more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the U.S. as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021". That group specifically includes those who assisted the US during its campaigns in Afghanistan:
Many veterans of America’s longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the U.S. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.
The long-lasting harm this does to US goodwill, reputation, and the willingness of those abroad to help and assist the US in future remains to be seen, but will likely be severe.
> US goodwill, reputation, and the willingness of those abroad to help and assist the US in future
I’m afraid that there is a large group of folks in the US who put no value on these things, while not really understanding how much they have benefitted us (especially in the recent past).
I’d like to point out that a lot of our young men are currently attempting to do the exact same thing as was described above for the Afghani translators who served with the US Army even at tremendous risk to their lives. They have sponsored them for visas since their lives, and those of their families, are increasingly at risk back in Afghanistan because of their work with the US. Many of these Afghani and Iraqi translators saved US American soldier lives, and made it possible for the our soldiers to work with the local populations when this was critical.
Unfortunately, even as American soldiers are working hard to bring their translators they worked with, along with their families, to the US, they’re running into a lot of red tape back in the US, even though we’ve only filled a fraction of the visas that Congress allotted for Iraqis and Afghans who served with the US Army and other branches.
<https://tacairnet.com/2015/08/20/a-south-vietnamese-air-forc...>
That was called out in an HN comment: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17992951>
I'd like to point out that following events of the 20th of this month, that red tape has turned into a solid wall as the US has frozen all asylum and refugee actions, including those of people already cleared to enter the US, many with flights already booked for entry.
This includes "more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the U.S. as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021". That group specifically includes those who assisted the US during its campaigns in Afghanistan:
Many veterans of America’s longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the U.S. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-c...>
The long-lasting harm this does to US goodwill, reputation, and the willingness of those abroad to help and assist the US in future remains to be seen, but will likely be severe.