Tag: Special Immigrant Visas

Navy Reserve Commander Sentenced for Helping Afghan Nationals Obtain Visas into US In Exchange for Bribes

Daily Caller News Foundation
Nancy Pelosi in Afghanistan

A federal court on Monday sentenced an American Navy Reserve officer to two-and-a-half years in prison for his role in helping Afghan nationals obtain special visas into the United States in exchange for cash.

Jeromy Pittmann, a 53-year-old U.S. Navy Reserve commander from Florida, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for the years-long scheme which included drafting and submitting fraudulent letters of recommendations on behalf of Afghans who applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The sentencing follows warnings by federal watchdogs that the vetting of Afghans into the U.S. after the botched military pullout of the country was poorly conducted.

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Thousands of Afghan Refugees Are Resettling in Communities Around the U.S. Every Week

Michigan Star Staff

Thousands of Afghan refugees who were temporarily housed at U.S. military bases are resettling in communities around the country every week, CBS News reported on Thursday.

Around 6,000 Afghan refugees who were evacuated from the Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power have resettled around the U.S., according to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CBS News reported. Additionally, about 3,000 new residents with U.S. citizenship, green cards and those with close family or friends in the U.S. have left the military bases.

More than 55,000 Afghan evacuees are still at the temporary housing sites across eight military bases in the U.S. and another 5,000 refugees remain waiting in third countries to come to the U.S., according to CBS News. Around 4,000 evacuees were released to resettle in the U.S. in the last week.

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Biden Admin Told Refugee Organizations to Prepare for Arrival of up to 50,000 Afghans Without Visas

Michigan Star Staff

The Biden administration told refugee organizations to prepare for the arrival of up to 50,000 Afghans without visas, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Nine State Department-contracted nonprofits that resettle refugees in the U.S. are trying to recruit more staff and volunteers to help process arriving Afghans, according to the WSJ. Some of the organizations said they haven’t been told how many refugees to expect or when they might arrive.

“We’re going to make it work, no matter how difficult, but I’d be lying to you if I said we aren’t concerned,” HIAS nonprofit President Mark Hetfield told the WSJ.

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