DAVENPORT, Iowa — In August, the Afghan Adjustment Act was introduced in Congress in hopes to help refugees from Afghanistan gain entry into the US and give them a permanent home.
With hopes of having the law passed by the end of the year, a group of veterans that served in Afghanistan is now traveling across the country in hopes to spread awareness of the act and gain support.
"If we don't pass this Afghan Adjustment Act, they will be without a permanent pathway here in the United States," said Safi Rauf, one of the veterans that took on the challenge to travel across the nation. "They'll continue to live in limbo."
Rauf said the bill would "literally save thousands of lives" and give the 78,000 refugees a pathway to making the United States their home.
The group began its journey in Washington D.C., where they stood in front of the US Capitol to gain attention for the act. Matt Zeller, another group member, said that it was crucial for them to spread awareness and not wait for members of Congress to do so.
"We faced with a choice," Zeller said. "We realized that we had to take the message for the people, they need to know about this."
Zeller served in Afghanistan War and said that he fought alongside various Afghan soldiers that helped him throughout his tour. Without them, he doesn't know where he would be.
"I'm only alive talking to you today because my interpreter shot and killed two Taliban fighters 14 years ago in a battle," Zeller explained. "I'm terrified that if we don't pass this law, that if my daughter decides to serve and be the 10th generation of my family to serve in uniform, that she's not going to have her guardian angel next to her in a battle like I did."
The group will continue their travel toward the west coast and will make their way back to Washington D.C. in November.
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