A New Effort In Congress Offers A Glimmer Of Hope For Afghan Interpreters Fearing For Their Lives

As visas for Afghan interpreters were set to run out by the end of July, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will provide an additional 1,000 emergency visas for Afghan translators who served alongside American soldiers.

Earlier this month, there were just 280 visas left for Afghan interpreters, with more than 6,000 attempting to go through the approval process, according to Vice News. A joint statement released by Congressman Adam Kinzinger, R-Il, and Congressman Earl Blumenauer, D-OR, outlined a bill that would fix this problem.

The 1,000 added Visas should be enough to last through September, when the two lawmakers hope to be able to secure a more permanent extension. The bill must still be approved by the Senate.

"A failure to provide these additional visas ensures the many brave translators the U.S. promised to protect in exchange for their service would be left in Afghanistan, hiding, their lives still threatened daily by the Taliban," the joint statement said.

The State Department had been processing an average of 400 visas a month since the beginning of the year, the statement continued, adding, "We have already taken too much time, and the brave translators that are in mortal danger cannot wait any longer."