ATA has joined Red-T’s international language coalition and Amnesty International to request the urgent relocation of interpreters who assisted American forces in Afghanistan. In a letter to the U.S. Department of State, the coalition noted that the complicated and often problematic Special Immigrant Visa process has left many local civilian linguists and their families waiting for years while facing retribution from insurgents.
Read Red-T’s Open Letter Requesting the Urgent Relocation of Afghan Interpreters.
With the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. troops on September 11, time is running out to save those interpreters who supported the U.S. and its allies in the global fight against terrorism. The coalition also reminded U.S. Secretary Blinken that a similar evacuation was undertaken near the end of the Vietnam War, when thousands of Americans and Vietnamese were airlifted to safety by U.S. forces.
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