Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021
Bill: S.3433 | Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress a strategy for the safe processing abroad of nationals of Afghanistan applying for admission as refugees or special immigrant visas based on the applicant's work in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
The strategy must include various elements, including detailed plans for (1) prioritizing the processing of such individuals, (2) providing security checks for such individuals, (3) facilitating the rapid departure of such individuals from Afghanistan after the security checks, and (4) engaging with other countries to better facilitate the evacuation of such individuals.
The State Department must also report monthly to Congress on the progress of efforts to implement the strategy.

To require a strategy to support nationals of Afghanistan who are 
 applicants for special immigrant visas or for referral to the United 
       States Refugee Admissions Program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Honor Our Commitment Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States should increase 
support for nationals of Afghanistan who aided the United States 
mission in Afghanistan during the past 20 years and are now under 
threat from the Taliban, specifically such nationals of Afghanistan, in 
Afghanistan or third countries, who are applicants for--
            (1) special immigrant visas under the Afghan Allies 
        Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 111-8) 
        or section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
        Fiscal Year 2006 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note; Public Law 109-163); or
            (2) referral to the United States Refugee Admissions 
        Program as refugees (as defined in section 101(a)(42) of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42))), 
        including as Priority 2 refugees.

SEC. 3. STRATEGY TO SUPPORT CERTAIN NATIONALS OF AFGHANISTAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
strategy for the safe processing abroad of nationals of Afghanistan 
described in section 2.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required by subsection (a) shall 
include a detailed plan--
            (1) to prioritize for evacuation from Afghanistan nationals 
        of Afghanistan described in section 2;
            (2) to provide for security checks for such nationals of 
        Afghanistan, which--
                    (A) shall be conducted remotely before departure 
                from Afghanistan; and
                    (B) shall not take the place of post-departure 
                security screening;
            (3) to facilitate, after such security checks, the rapid 
        departure from Afghanistan by air charter and land passage of 
        such nationals of Afghanistan who satisfy the requirements of 
        such security checks;
            (4) to provide letters of support, diplomatic notes, and 
        other documentation, as appropriate, to ease transit for such 
        nationals of Afghanistan;
            (5) to engage governments of relevant countries to better 
        facilitate evacuation of such nationals of Afghanistan;
            (6) to disseminate frequent updates to such nationals of 
        Afghanistan and relevant nongovernmental organizations with 
        respect to evacuation from Afghanistan;
            (7) to identify and establish sufficient locations outside 
        Afghanistan and the United States that will accept such 
        nationals of Afghanistan during case processing (including 
        during the processes of security checks and establishing the 
        eligibility of such nationals of Afghanistan before their 
        travel to the United States, which shall include any in-person 
        interview required for full adjudication of a case and, in the 
        case of a special immigrant visa, issuance of such visa) for--
                    (A) the special immigrant visas described in 
                paragraph (1) of section 2; or
                    (B) referral to, and acceptance for resettlement in 
                the United States by, the United States Refugee 
                Admissions Program described in paragraph (2) of that 
                section;
            (8) to identify necessary resource, personnel, and 
        equipment requirements to increase capacity to better support 
        such nationals of Afghanistan and reduce their application 
        processing times, while ensuring strict and necessary security 
        checks, including, to the extent practicable, by allowing such 
        nationals of Afghanistan to receive referrals to the United 
        States Refugee Admissions Program while they are still in 
        Afghanistan so as to initiate application processing more 
        expeditiously; and
            (9) to provide for relocation outside Afghanistan to third 
        countries for nationals of Afghanistan described in section 2 
        who are unable to successfully complete security checks and 
        application processing to establish eligibility to travel to 
        the United States.
    (c) Form.--The strategy required by subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

SEC. 4. MONTHLY REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and monthly thereafter until December 31, 2022, 
the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report on efforts to support nationals of Afghanistan described in 
section 2.
    (b) Elements.--Each report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) The number of nationals of Afghanistan referred to the 
        United States Refugee Admissions Program as Priority 1 and 
        Priority 2 refugees since August 29, 2021.
            (2) An assessment of whether each such refugee--
                    (A) remains in Afghanistan; or
                    (B) is outside Afghanistan.
            (3) With respect to nationals of Afghanistan who have 
        applied for referral to the United States Refugee Program, the 
        number of applications that--
                    (A) have been approved;
                    (B) have been denied; and
                    (C) are pending adjudication.
            (4) The number of nationals of Afghanistan who have pending 
        applications for special immigrant visas described in section 
        2(1), disaggregated by the special immigrant visa processing 
        steps completed with respect to such individuals.
            (5) A description of the measures taken to implement the 
        strategy under section 3.

SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
        the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security and 
        Governmental Affairs; and the Committee on Armed Services of 
        the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the 
        Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the 
        Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
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