36,000 Afghan evacuees lack pathway to permanent legal status in the U.S.

At least 36,433 Afghan evacuees who were or are set to be resettled in the U.S. lack a direct pathway to secure permanent legal residency, according to a government report shared with Congress and obtained by CBS News.

The number, which had not been previously reported, represents over 40% of the tens of thousands of Afghans who were airlifted from Afghanistan as part of the largest evacuation and resettlement operation undertaken by the U.S. government since 1975, when the U.S. resettled 125,000 Vietnamese refugees following the fall of Saigon.

These Afghans evacuees will remain in legal limbo unless Congress legalizes them or they apply for, and obtain, an immigration benefit like asylum. The U.S. asylum program, however, is plagued by a backlog of 412,000 applications. Some could also lose their cases, placing them in deportation proceedings.