Ortt calls on US to quickly approve visas for Afghan allies

State Sen. Rob. Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, is urging the federal government to fast-track visas to assist Afghan people attempting to evacuate from the country which has been taken over by the Taliban following the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Ortt issued this statement today:

“The federal government must take immediate action to rapidly approve visas for our Afghan allies, secure the airport in Kabul, and safely evacuate our citizens and allies.

“This is deeply personal to me. In 2008, I served as a combat mentor and advisor to the Afghan National Police in Kandahar City. When Taliban forces took the city just a few days ago, my first thought was of the men and women I served with and those Afghans we so proudly worked with to help protect and build a safer, more stable, and more peaceful Afghanistan. I worried for their lives and the well-being of their families and contemplated the risk they took to help support our mission. Those concerns are amplified today.

“I am asking our Federal representatives to take immediate action to help those who trusted our government and worked to make their home a better place. This is a crisis and all solutions must be considered. I will specifically be working with my partners in the New York State legislature and throughout New York State government to support an increase in the number of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients.

“A failure to live up to our promises to our allies will cost lives and deeply harm America’s capacity to lead and be a force for good throughout the world.”

Jacobs: Biden administration ‘has handed Afghanistan over to the Taliban’

Congressman Chris Jacobs issued this statement about the situation in Afghanistan:

“Five weeks ago, President Biden addressed the nation and vowed it was ‘unlikely’ we would see Afghanistan overrun by the Taliban and that we would not see Americans being evacuated from our embassy. His administration failed to plan for that exact scenario, despite the warning signs, and has now handed Afghanistan over to the Taliban. This negligence has put Americans and our allies in harm’s way, put Afghan women and children at the hands of a regime known for human rights atrocities, and weakened our national security.

“History will remember this as one of the most devastating foreign policy failures in our nation’s history.”