Today, Congresswoman Fletcher (TX-07) issued the following statement on the situation in Afghanistan:

“Earlier today, I participated in a briefing with the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and members of Congress on the situation in Afghanistan, and I continue to monitor the situation closely.  My thoughts are with our American troops, civilian personnel, and Afghan partners there, who we must work to evacuate as quickly and safely as possible. 

“Houston is home to one of the country’s largest veteran populations, many of whom served with honor in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.  My team and I are here to help get assistance to our veterans who need it, to assist with the Special Immigrant Visa Process to get our allies to safety, and to help constituents affected by these developments.  I encourage any constituent who needs assistance to contact my office.”

Earlier this year, Congresswoman Fletcher helped the family of an Afghan translator gain humanitarian parole to arrive to safety in the United States.  Congresswoman Fletcher co-sponsored the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act, a bill designed to protect our country’s Afghan partners and expedite the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, which was included in recent legislation signed into law.