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House Passes Blumenauer Bill to Preserve Special Immigrant Visa Program

October 2, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the House of Representatives passed a bill (HR 3233) authored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer by unanimous consent extending the Special Immigrant Visa Program. Blumenauer released the following statement:

Tonight, we have reached an agreement that will preserve the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa program, which expired on September 30th.

These translators and guides risked their lives to help and serve American soldiers. By all accounts, thousands of these people performed critical tasks faithfully, if not flawlessly. We made an implicit promise to protect them when the American presence was scaled down and they risked their lives to help us. Now, many are threatened on a daily basis by enemies of the United States with very long memories. We need to fulfill our promise to get them out of harm’s way.

This bill is an example of how the House of Representatives can and should work: in a bipartisan way and in the best interests of our citizens and allies. I thank House leadership and all of my colleagues who supported this effort, especially Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Tulsi Gabbard, as well as the tireless advocates and soldiers who fought so hard to bring attention to this vital issue.

Now, the real work begins. Once this program is secured, we must continue to work to make sure it functions in an expedient, transparent, and responsive matter. Those who risked their lives to save ours deserve no less.