Forget the Syrian Refugees. America Needs to Bring its Afghan and Iraqi Interpreters Here First.
Forget the Syrian Refugees. America Needs to Bring its Afghan and Iraqi Interpreters Here First. By Dane Bowker, Washington Post
Last week, President Obama decided to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States. But there’s another group of foreigners who deserve our help much more – the 50,000 men and women who served as interpreters for American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During my two deployments, I worked with countless interpreters. They were essential to my work and served at great personal risk. Interpreters are routinely killed by insurgents because they’re aiding the United States…
Because of such dangers, many interpreters seek asylum in the United States. But while American government officials say they’re doing everything they can to bring the interpreters to safety, the State Department is chronically behind in processing their Special Immigrant Visa applications. ..
