Sullivan was asked if the administration regrets “not moving faster to evacuate more Afghan civilians working with the United States.”
In response, Sullivan acknowledged that the SIV program was not intended for mass evacuations, but claimed that the Trump administration left a backlog that restored the Biden administration.
“When we took office in January, the Trump administration had not processed a single immigrant visa since March 2020, in almost a year,” Sullivan said.
Facts first: This is incorrect. Between March 2020 and the end of December 2020, at least 523 special visas for Afghan immigrants were issued. That said, the Biden administration inherited a significant accumulation of SIV applicants (more than 17,000), in part because of the policies enacted under the Trump administration that slowed the SIV review process.
The White House told CNN that Sullivan was referring to the Trump administration stopping face-to-face interviews in Kabul, which is a mandatory part of the SIV process. Although State Department reports indicate that there were no visa interviews conducted at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from March 2020 to the end of December 2020, the visa applications of those they had already been interviewed were still being processed during this time.
According to the State Department, the interviews were stopped due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The report on the status of the Afghan Immigrant Special Visa Program for the quarter ending December 2020 noted that “there were relatively few interviews this quarter because the U.S. embassy in Kabul was closed for face-to-face visas due to the prevalence of COVID-19 in Afghanistan. In all nine cases, applicants applied for the interview to be conducted in an alternative location. “
The report did not include whether these interviews took place elsewhere, but as of December 31, 2020, “622 top applicants and 2,438 family-derived members were pending scheduling visa interviews.”
Although the pause in the interviews contributed to the delay, it was not the only factor. Biden’s White House also pointed to CNN for a virus
Twitter thread by Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Pence, who said the Trump administration took action
restrict refugee admission and undermining the SIV program.
And Adam Bates, a political advisor to the International Refugee Assistance Project, which represents special immigrant and refugee visa applicants, noted that the number of SIVs issued declined under the Trump administration.
Under the Obama administration, the number of Afghan SIVs issued increased from 262 in fiscal year 2009 to 3,626 in fiscal year 2016. But under Trump, the number dropped to 1,649 in fiscal year 2018, increased to 2,347 in fiscal year 2019 and culminated in 1,799 for fiscal year 2020.
“President Trump also oversaw a substantial reduction in the issuance of these visas compared to President Obama,” Bates told CNN. I guess this is not strictly relevant to an ‘evacuation,’ but the program protects people who are threatened for their service to the U.S. mission and fewer visas issued means fewer U.S. allies and their families have a path to safety. ” However, the Biden administration is not entirely blameless, as experts say they could have fixed the delays sooner.
Faiza Sayed, director of the Safe Harbor Clinic, told CNN that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversee the SIV program, “could, but have not been able to speed up the process.”
Under Biden’s administration, immigrant visa interviews were resumed at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. But as of Aug. 24, the State Department issued a statement that “all immigrant visits, including Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), to the embassy, have been canceled.” , but clarified that, in addition to U.S. citizens, their “efforts are dedicated” to evacuations at Hamid Karzai International Airport “in particular” for our locally employed staff; staff from partner nations and international organizations with whom we have agreements; holders and applicants for special visas for Afghan immigrants; certain immigrant visa applicants; P2 refugee programs and some Afghans at risk “.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to the reports.
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