1 00:00:39,915 --> 00:00:42,209 [audience applauding, cheering] 2 00:00:49,299 --> 00:00:50,384 Hello! 3 00:00:50,926 --> 00:00:52,386 Welcome to the program. 4 00:00:52,469 --> 00:00:53,512 My name is Jon Stewart. 5 00:00:53,595 --> 00:00:56,932 And, man, there's a lot going on in the world. 6 00:00:57,015 --> 00:01:00,269 There's Fascism on the march in Italy. 7 00:01:00,352 --> 00:01:04,063 North Korea lobbing missiles over Japan. 8 00:01:04,147 --> 00:01:05,440 F-From what I understand, 9 00:01:05,524 --> 00:01:10,112 people in Europe are very nervous about what's going on in Russia. 10 00:01:10,195 --> 00:01:12,656 [audience laughing] 11 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:18,662 Apparently Ukraine wants to join NATO, and they don't know where to turn… 12 00:01:18,745 --> 00:01:20,163 I don't know what to tell you. 13 00:01:20,247 --> 00:01:21,957 [audience laughs] 14 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,544 But, I'm-- I'm sure them joining NATO is okay, right? 15 00:01:25,627 --> 00:01:28,672 If Ukraine joins NATO, that means world war. 16 00:01:28,755 --> 00:01:29,590 Millions die. 17 00:01:30,757 --> 00:01:32,759 [audience laughing] 18 00:01:35,387 --> 00:01:37,890 Okay. So things are good. 19 00:01:38,849 --> 00:01:40,350 But speaking of international conflict, 20 00:01:40,434 --> 00:01:44,438 tonight, oddly enough, we return to Afghanistan. 21 00:01:45,314 --> 00:01:48,275 I'm sorry to say, you've been drafted. No, I'm just kidding about that. 22 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:51,862 As you know, we were in Afghanistan for 20 years. 23 00:01:51,945 --> 00:01:55,782 But we were only there to kill Bin Laden, which we did. 24 00:01:56,783 --> 00:01:58,243 In Pakistan. 25 00:01:58,327 --> 00:02:01,330 But of course, we stayed in Afghanistan for ten more years 26 00:02:01,413 --> 00:02:03,248 because we had already paid for parking. 27 00:02:03,332 --> 00:02:05,083 -Not to worry! -[audience laughing] 28 00:02:07,294 --> 00:02:10,839 Our two decades in Afghanistan were long, but they were not lonely. 29 00:02:10,923 --> 00:02:17,471 We rode into Operation Enduring Freedom 42 allied countries strong, 30 00:02:17,554 --> 00:02:20,599 each contributing to the mission. 31 00:02:20,682 --> 00:02:23,477 Norway threw in a few missiles. 32 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,897 Australia offered some planes. 33 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:28,065 England… 34 00:02:29,483 --> 00:02:30,484 gave us Prince Harry. 35 00:02:30,567 --> 00:02:32,778 [audience laughing] 36 00:02:39,117 --> 00:02:41,036 [whispering] And we decided to keep him. 37 00:02:41,119 --> 00:02:43,413 [audience laughing, cheering] 38 00:02:47,668 --> 00:02:50,045 Because he smells like clotted cream. 39 00:02:50,128 --> 00:02:52,130 [audience laughs] 40 00:02:52,214 --> 00:02:54,007 [normal voice] But there was a slight problem. 41 00:02:54,091 --> 00:02:58,345 None of those friends and allies spoke Pashto or Dari or Urdu 42 00:02:58,428 --> 00:03:01,598 or any of the 40 languages and 200 dialects 43 00:03:01,682 --> 00:03:05,310 that tend to populate a country drawn by the Ottoman Empire 44 00:03:05,394 --> 00:03:06,812 and then the British Empire 45 00:03:06,895 --> 00:03:08,730 and then the Soviet-- whatever they are now. 46 00:03:08,814 --> 00:03:11,400 And so it was kind of a group project, the drawing of Afghanistan. 47 00:03:11,483 --> 00:03:14,570 So what we really needed were interpreters, 48 00:03:15,070 --> 00:03:19,116 Afghans willing to defy the Taliban. 49 00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:21,702 And we needed thousands of them. 50 00:03:21,785 --> 00:03:26,373 My capability of survival really relies on their interpretation. 51 00:03:26,456 --> 00:03:30,586 They were more important to our survival on the battlefield than our weapons. 52 00:03:30,669 --> 00:03:33,922 I feel he's done more for this country than I have personally, 53 00:03:34,715 --> 00:03:35,924 and I got a Purple Heart. 54 00:03:36,008 --> 00:03:37,551 Without that asset, 55 00:03:37,634 --> 00:03:41,597 I was-- you know, I was basically deaf and in many ways culturally blind. 56 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,976 Basically deaf and culturally blind is the house band at the Pentagon. 57 00:03:46,059 --> 00:03:48,061 -Uh, but-- -[audience laughing] 58 00:03:49,354 --> 00:03:50,355 We're-- 59 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:53,442 They know all the hits. 60 00:03:54,776 --> 00:03:56,904 But we're the US of, let's say, A. 61 00:03:56,987 --> 00:03:59,907 What possible downside could there be 62 00:03:59,990 --> 00:04:05,829 for Afghans to hitch their local, primitive means of conveyance to our-- 63 00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:08,832 I'm being told it's cars. Mostly they drive cars. 64 00:04:08,916 --> 00:04:10,167 Toyota Corollas apparently. 65 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,754 But the point is this, why wouldn't you wanna ride with us? 66 00:04:13,837 --> 00:04:18,926 The Talibans, they call all the Afghan interpreters the American spy. 67 00:04:19,009 --> 00:04:21,595 And they call us the infidel. 68 00:04:21,678 --> 00:04:23,889 And there's no forgiveness for us. 69 00:04:23,972 --> 00:04:27,142 They will torture us, and after that they will behead us. 70 00:04:27,226 --> 00:04:28,435 Holy shit. 71 00:04:29,144 --> 00:04:30,979 With the risk that these folks are taking, 72 00:04:31,063 --> 00:04:35,609 the United States better be ready to stand by our Afghan allies. 73 00:04:35,692 --> 00:04:39,947 Their country will never be abandoned to terrorists and killers. 74 00:04:40,030 --> 00:04:43,742 As Afghans stand up, they will not stand alone. 75 00:04:43,825 --> 00:04:48,038 Our message to those women and men is clear. 76 00:04:48,789 --> 00:04:52,835 There is a home for you in the United States, if you so choose, 77 00:04:52,918 --> 00:04:55,921 and we will stand with you just as you stood with us. 78 00:04:56,004 --> 00:04:58,215 Oh, my God. This is-- This is unbelievable. 79 00:04:58,298 --> 00:05:02,845 Not only are we standing by you, our beloved Afghan allies, 80 00:05:02,928 --> 00:05:07,558 we are offering you sanctuary in our home. 81 00:05:07,641 --> 00:05:11,395 In our home. Mi casa es su casa. 82 00:05:11,478 --> 00:05:15,190 For people who actually do speak Spanish, that does not apply to you. 83 00:05:15,274 --> 00:05:18,277 [audience laughing] 84 00:05:22,906 --> 00:05:24,283 It's an expression. 85 00:05:26,368 --> 00:05:29,746 But they had bipartisan assurance that we would have their backs. 86 00:05:29,830 --> 00:05:33,292 So I'm sure even when we did leave after 20 years of-- 87 00:05:33,375 --> 00:05:36,962 I think we can all agree, it was a positive geopolitical home makeover. 88 00:05:37,045 --> 00:05:42,759 There was an orderly process to protect our Afghan allies, who had worked-- 89 00:05:42,843 --> 00:05:47,306 Holy fuck. That's-- Okay, that's chaotic. That does not-- 90 00:05:47,389 --> 00:05:48,515 Is that a withdrawal? 91 00:05:48,599 --> 00:05:52,477 Oh, they're in a hurry to get out. They just-- That's not how you-- Okay. 92 00:05:52,561 --> 00:05:54,188 That's-- They're-- Okay. 93 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,401 Probably time for a little history lesson here. 94 00:05:59,484 --> 00:06:01,653 [smacks lips] Um… [swallows] 95 00:06:02,571 --> 00:06:09,328 America has a bit of a toxic, international fuckboy, hit it and quit it… 96 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:11,371 [audience laughing] 97 00:06:11,455 --> 00:06:12,748 …reputation. 98 00:06:14,249 --> 00:06:19,796 I think the Vietnamese would attest, the Kurds in Iraq and Syria. 99 00:06:20,756 --> 00:06:24,092 I mean, as far back as the Marquis de Lafayette. 100 00:06:24,176 --> 00:06:27,012 That's the actual picture, by the way, from 1776. 101 00:06:29,598 --> 00:06:35,354 Aside from World War 2, America tends to leave its adventures a bit messy. 102 00:06:35,938 --> 00:06:37,314 And thus… 103 00:06:39,066 --> 00:06:41,276 "The Problem with Allies." 104 00:06:42,194 --> 00:06:46,990 Geopolitical relationships are tricky when the power imbalance is so pronounced. 105 00:06:47,574 --> 00:06:49,493 And that can reveal itself in many ways. 106 00:06:49,576 --> 00:06:53,205 Trade imbalance, natural resource exploitation, 107 00:06:53,288 --> 00:06:56,333 the… [chuckles] …occasional redrawing of borders. 108 00:06:56,416 --> 00:06:59,837 But the international game is especially fraught 109 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,340 when it involves the military-industrial complex 110 00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:05,384 and you happen to be the host country. 111 00:07:06,176 --> 00:07:09,096 See, more powerful countries tend to come on pretty strong. 112 00:07:09,179 --> 00:07:11,098 [imitating pickup artist] Hey, baby. 113 00:07:11,181 --> 00:07:14,434 I know you wanna go halfsies on a democracy, baby. Come on. 114 00:07:14,518 --> 00:07:16,103 [audience chuckling] 115 00:07:16,186 --> 00:07:17,521 Freedom is forever, baby. 116 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:20,774 [gasps] Oh, shit. Is that my pager? I gotta run. 117 00:07:22,401 --> 00:07:26,405 [normal voice] And when we pull the rug out, and we will, 118 00:07:26,488 --> 00:07:27,739 bad shit can happen. 119 00:07:28,282 --> 00:07:34,079 Economic collapse, purges, lower placement on our vaunted newscasts. 120 00:07:35,622 --> 00:07:37,291 But that's the old us, baby. 121 00:07:38,041 --> 00:07:39,418 We're working on our shit. 122 00:07:40,169 --> 00:07:42,254 This time, we got you. 123 00:07:42,963 --> 00:07:44,381 There's a program. 124 00:07:44,464 --> 00:07:45,883 It's 12 steps. 125 00:07:45,966 --> 00:07:49,344 It's called the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program. 126 00:07:49,428 --> 00:07:52,181 And it provides a path to US citizenship 127 00:07:52,264 --> 00:07:57,144 to many of those who put themselves at risk by assisting the United States. 128 00:07:57,227 --> 00:08:00,647 You just do a little paperwork, submit it to the State Department, 129 00:08:00,731 --> 00:08:03,317 and soon you'll be at the Rock & Roll Museum 130 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,194 with a pocket full of Kohl's Cash. 131 00:08:06,486 --> 00:08:09,239 -[clicks tongue] -[audience laughing] 132 00:08:09,323 --> 00:08:11,617 Since 2009, the SIV program has brought in 133 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:15,037 more than 80,000 Afghan allies and their families. 134 00:08:15,579 --> 00:08:17,831 So, to borrow a phrase of the era, 135 00:08:18,707 --> 00:08:20,334 mission accomplished. 136 00:08:20,417 --> 00:08:25,839 I'm in my hiding place somewhere in Kabul, and I'm living in panic. 137 00:08:25,923 --> 00:08:28,926 Now, I'm not asking for the US visa. 138 00:08:29,009 --> 00:08:33,722 I'm just asking for a safe place. Please get me out of here. 139 00:08:33,804 --> 00:08:36,725 Please expedite our-- our process. 140 00:08:40,020 --> 00:08:42,105 [inhales deeply] Expedite our-- our process. 141 00:08:42,188 --> 00:08:45,108 You know… [stammers] …we are almost getting killed, man. 142 00:08:45,192 --> 00:08:46,193 Fuck! 143 00:08:46,735 --> 00:08:47,945 We didn't get everybody? 144 00:08:48,487 --> 00:08:51,990 Yes, apparently, since our orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, 145 00:08:52,074 --> 00:08:58,247 over 100,000 SIVs, as well as their families, are stuck. 146 00:08:59,081 --> 00:09:04,002 And the processing of applications is piling up denials and delays. 147 00:09:04,628 --> 00:09:08,715 To give you a sense of what's keeping our treasured allies from joining us, 148 00:09:08,799 --> 00:09:11,802 what's getting them denied for the visa program, 149 00:09:11,885 --> 00:09:14,555 it's time to play America's favorite game show: 150 00:09:15,222 --> 00:09:16,473 Shit Outta Luck. 151 00:09:16,557 --> 00:09:21,353 Will our Afghan friends make it safely to the land of Cinnabon and Mountain Dew, 152 00:09:21,436 --> 00:09:22,771 or will they be… 153 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:25,524 say it with me… 154 00:09:25,607 --> 00:09:26,984 [audience chuckling] 155 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,780 [Stewart, audience] …Shit Outta Luck! 156 00:09:33,657 --> 00:09:35,742 -[chuckling] -[audience laughing] 157 00:09:40,330 --> 00:09:42,708 We probably should have rehearsed that earlier. 158 00:09:42,791 --> 00:09:45,085 [audience laughing, applauding] 159 00:09:46,503 --> 00:09:48,380 [chuckles] You got the whole audience going, 160 00:09:48,463 --> 00:09:49,464 "I did not know… 161 00:09:49,548 --> 00:09:51,341 [audience laughing] 162 00:09:51,425 --> 00:09:53,719 …that this was a participatory…" 163 00:09:55,095 --> 00:09:57,097 The goal of Shit Outta Luck is simple. 164 00:09:57,181 --> 00:10:00,184 Land on a national treasure and score that big visa, 165 00:10:00,267 --> 00:10:03,353 or land on Torchie, and you're shit outta luck. 166 00:10:03,437 --> 00:10:05,189 Bring up the board, Pauly. 167 00:10:05,272 --> 00:10:08,275 -[bell dinging] -All right. Here we go! 168 00:10:08,358 --> 00:10:10,527 [audience laughing] 169 00:10:10,611 --> 00:10:11,612 First up. 170 00:10:12,196 --> 00:10:14,615 He's nearly completed his application. He should be all set. 171 00:10:14,698 --> 00:10:17,701 Let's go, big visa, big visa, big visa, no Torchie. 172 00:10:17,784 --> 00:10:18,952 -Stop! -[buzzer sounds] 173 00:10:19,036 --> 00:10:21,079 -Oh, fuck. -[cackles, blows raspberry] 174 00:10:22,664 --> 00:10:27,044 Apparently the application was denied, these are true, 175 00:10:27,127 --> 00:10:29,546 because the Afghan SIV 176 00:10:29,630 --> 00:10:34,760 didn't have access to a scanner in Afghanistan. 177 00:10:34,843 --> 00:10:37,846 [New York accent] Hey, you expect me to process a paper application? 178 00:10:37,930 --> 00:10:40,265 What am I, fucking Fred Flintstone over here? 179 00:10:40,933 --> 00:10:43,852 Denied. You're shit outta luck. [normal voice] Bring the board back up. 180 00:10:43,936 --> 00:10:47,231 Interpreter number two, all he needs is an interview with the US embassy 181 00:10:47,314 --> 00:10:49,274 to complete his SIV application. 182 00:10:49,358 --> 00:10:50,359 Let's go! 183 00:10:50,442 --> 00:10:53,362 Big visa, big visa, no Torchie. And stop! 184 00:10:53,445 --> 00:10:54,446 [buzzer sounds] 185 00:10:54,530 --> 00:10:56,281 -[Torchie cackles] Mm-mmm. -Fuck! 186 00:10:57,699 --> 00:10:58,825 This is true. 187 00:10:59,535 --> 00:11:02,829 The interview that you do for your SIV application 188 00:11:02,913 --> 00:11:05,290 has to be at the US embassy. 189 00:11:05,374 --> 00:11:10,254 Which is really hard because it no longer exists. 190 00:11:10,337 --> 00:11:12,965 -[audience gasping, murmuring] -[Stewart chuckles] 191 00:11:13,048 --> 00:11:14,758 Now you participate. 192 00:11:14,842 --> 00:11:17,344 [audience laughing] 193 00:11:18,178 --> 00:11:19,638 Denied. Board. 194 00:11:20,222 --> 00:11:21,431 One last contestant. 195 00:11:21,515 --> 00:11:23,642 He had all his shit together. 196 00:11:23,725 --> 00:11:27,187 His application had been in for six years. 197 00:11:27,271 --> 00:11:29,773 Remember, these are real people. 198 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:31,441 Let's go! 199 00:11:32,025 --> 00:11:35,737 All right, Torchie. Come on, baby. Don't come up. Big visa! 200 00:11:35,821 --> 00:11:37,573 -[buzzer sounds] -[cackles] 201 00:11:38,407 --> 00:11:40,325 Can't verify service. Can't verify service. 202 00:11:40,409 --> 00:11:41,702 Can't verify service. 203 00:11:42,578 --> 00:11:43,620 Torchie, you're-- 204 00:11:44,454 --> 00:11:46,790 You're fucking-- [stammers] No, don't even-- 205 00:11:46,874 --> 00:11:48,250 Come on. 206 00:11:49,585 --> 00:11:51,962 It turns out, for many interpreters, 207 00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:56,049 their service with the United States cannot be verified. 208 00:11:56,133 --> 00:11:59,052 Because on our way out of Afghanistan, 209 00:11:59,761 --> 00:12:01,763 we burned all the records. 210 00:12:03,140 --> 00:12:04,725 In our defense, 211 00:12:04,808 --> 00:12:07,978 we do keep identifying data about our Afghan allies 212 00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:10,105 on biometric storage devices. 213 00:12:10,981 --> 00:12:14,318 In our non-defense, we left those behind, 214 00:12:14,401 --> 00:12:16,862 and they are now in the hands of the Taliban, 215 00:12:17,362 --> 00:12:23,744 who can use those data devices to retaliate against our Afghan allies. 216 00:12:23,827 --> 00:12:26,955 So, I guess we're helping some Afghans, 217 00:12:27,039 --> 00:12:28,874 just not the ones we thought. 218 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:33,170 This is an outrage, and we need to speed this shit up. 219 00:12:33,670 --> 00:12:36,590 The Taliban has their data. 220 00:12:36,673 --> 00:12:39,551 Look, we are moving just as quickly as we can. 221 00:12:39,635 --> 00:12:43,222 We have, uh, mobilized, uh, significant resources 222 00:12:43,305 --> 00:12:48,602 to do all we can, uh, to make a dent, uh, in, uh, the applicants. 223 00:12:48,685 --> 00:12:52,564 Fuck that paper-pushing, pencil-neck geek wearing his dad's suit motherfucker! 224 00:12:52,648 --> 00:12:54,983 [audience laughing] 225 00:12:55,984 --> 00:12:57,694 This isn't time for some bureaucratic-- 226 00:12:57,778 --> 00:13:00,656 We need presidential intervention, executive action. 227 00:13:00,739 --> 00:13:01,907 Put out the signal. 228 00:13:01,990 --> 00:13:03,534 Save us, Dark Brandon. 229 00:13:03,617 --> 00:13:05,285 [audience laughing] 230 00:13:05,369 --> 00:13:07,704 Oh, save us, Dark Brandon. 231 00:13:08,664 --> 00:13:10,541 You're our only hope. 232 00:13:11,917 --> 00:13:13,126 President Biden announced today 233 00:13:13,210 --> 00:13:17,464 that the United States will take in as many as 100,000 refugees. 234 00:13:17,548 --> 00:13:18,882 [gasps] 235 00:13:18,966 --> 00:13:21,343 It worked. Lord Biden has risen. 236 00:13:22,553 --> 00:13:23,804 Tell us, great one. 237 00:13:23,887 --> 00:13:25,556 This program will be fast. 238 00:13:25,639 --> 00:13:28,433 [inhales sharply, squealing] It needs to be fast. 239 00:13:28,517 --> 00:13:29,852 It will be streamlined. 240 00:13:29,935 --> 00:13:33,313 Streamlining would be very helpful to the process. 241 00:13:33,397 --> 00:13:36,316 And will ensure the United States honors its commitment to go to-- 242 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,401 to the people of Ukraine. 243 00:13:37,484 --> 00:13:39,152 D-D-- [stammers] What the fuck? 244 00:13:39,236 --> 00:13:41,655 [audience laughs] 245 00:13:41,738 --> 00:13:43,031 Did you just say Ukraine? 246 00:13:43,115 --> 00:13:44,908 I mean, I-- I'm all for helping Ukraine. 247 00:13:44,992 --> 00:13:47,035 I mean, they're in a terrible humanitarian crisis, 248 00:13:47,119 --> 00:13:50,372 and they're the reason the East Village has such good diners. But… 249 00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:51,874 [audience laughing] 250 00:13:52,666 --> 00:13:59,548 …how in God's name did we admit more than 100,000 Ukrainians in under 5 months 251 00:14:00,716 --> 00:14:05,470 while 100,000 SIV applicants have been in limbo for years? 252 00:14:06,471 --> 00:14:10,017 Why would we fast-track one group over another? 253 00:14:10,100 --> 00:14:11,143 Why would the-- 254 00:14:12,436 --> 00:14:13,645 [audience chuckling] 255 00:14:13,729 --> 00:14:16,648 Why would the Ukrainian people have an easier time 256 00:14:16,732 --> 00:14:20,485 getting into the United States than Afgh-- 257 00:14:22,779 --> 00:14:24,323 I can't figure it out. 258 00:14:24,406 --> 00:14:26,366 [audience laughing] 259 00:14:26,450 --> 00:14:27,451 Per-- 260 00:14:28,660 --> 00:14:31,205 Perhaps it's as simple as pierogi, yes, kebab, no. 261 00:14:31,288 --> 00:14:32,706 That's probably it. 262 00:14:33,540 --> 00:14:35,292 But there is hope on the hill. 263 00:14:35,375 --> 00:14:39,171 President Biden could do more to expedite the process. 264 00:14:39,254 --> 00:14:43,133 And there is a bill called the Afghan Adjustment Act 265 00:14:43,217 --> 00:14:47,346 that would alleviate at least some of the obstacles facing our Afghan allies. 266 00:14:47,429 --> 00:14:49,223 It has bipartisan support. 267 00:14:49,932 --> 00:14:51,266 But it has hit some snags. 268 00:14:51,808 --> 00:14:57,189 And whenever we talk about Afghanistan, the snag it hits is always the same. 269 00:14:57,272 --> 00:15:01,860 They need to be thoroughly and completely vetted for security concerns. 270 00:15:01,944 --> 00:15:04,530 We must ensure that they are properly and thoroughly vetted. 271 00:15:04,613 --> 00:15:08,408 The vetting and interview process must be strengthened and enforced. 272 00:15:08,492 --> 00:15:11,161 It's not just interpreters who worked with US forces. 273 00:15:11,245 --> 00:15:13,205 They have to have been loyal interpreters, 274 00:15:13,288 --> 00:15:16,458 and of course there has to be vetting of all those people as well. 275 00:15:16,542 --> 00:15:18,669 Mmm, vetting. No, I get you. 276 00:15:19,211 --> 00:15:23,298 Is there anyone that could put that a little more directly and ignorantly? 277 00:15:23,382 --> 00:15:27,636 Child brides. They have a child bride. Thirteen, 14 years old. 278 00:15:27,719 --> 00:15:28,720 [crowd booing] 279 00:15:28,804 --> 00:15:31,515 And we're gonna resettle them, I guess, with a child bride. 280 00:15:31,598 --> 00:15:33,725 Are they doing that? With a child bride. 281 00:15:35,352 --> 00:15:37,437 [audience laughing] 282 00:15:37,521 --> 00:15:40,482 Is it me, or did he sound more jealous than angry? 283 00:15:40,566 --> 00:15:42,067 [laughing intensifies] 284 00:15:42,150 --> 00:15:43,902 What? Ah. Anyway. 285 00:15:43,986 --> 00:15:48,031 I'm sure our Afghan allies will understand. 286 00:15:48,115 --> 00:15:49,867 It's not like our actions in this war would affect 287 00:15:49,950 --> 00:15:53,579 their ability to, you know, work with us again 288 00:15:53,662 --> 00:15:55,622 if, uh, we needed them to, right? 289 00:15:55,706 --> 00:15:58,250 [Afghan translator] I was in combat, standing shoulder to shoulder 290 00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:00,335 with American soldiers at every step. 291 00:16:00,419 --> 00:16:02,337 I saved their lives in many ways. 292 00:16:02,421 --> 00:16:04,131 But in the end, they forgot me. 293 00:16:04,798 --> 00:16:07,092 If I had known this is how I would be left, 294 00:16:07,176 --> 00:16:09,344 I would never have chosen to work with them. 295 00:16:09,428 --> 00:16:12,764 Well, that does sound extreme… ly rational. 296 00:16:12,848 --> 00:16:14,057 Take a look at this. 297 00:16:14,141 --> 00:16:17,269 [audience applauding, cheering] 298 00:16:17,352 --> 00:16:20,981 -We have those beautiful words… -…that define our country… 299 00:16:21,064 --> 00:16:23,609 …carved into the base of the Statue of Liberty. 300 00:16:23,692 --> 00:16:24,776 Give me your tired… 301 00:16:24,860 --> 00:16:26,361 -…but not… -…too tired. 302 00:16:26,445 --> 00:16:27,279 Your poor… 303 00:16:27,362 --> 00:16:28,906 …but not stupid. 304 00:16:28,989 --> 00:16:31,074 -Your huddled masses… -…unless… 305 00:16:31,158 --> 00:16:32,034 -…they are… -…Muslim… 306 00:16:32,117 --> 00:16:33,744 -…Arab or… -…Kurds… 307 00:16:33,827 --> 00:16:37,623 …people who, uh, may have a brown complexion and dark hair… 308 00:16:37,706 --> 00:16:39,041 -…and helped us… -…in a war… 309 00:16:39,124 --> 00:16:40,000 …that we started. 310 00:16:40,083 --> 00:16:41,293 We don't want them. 311 00:16:41,376 --> 00:16:42,377 Do you have any… 312 00:16:42,461 --> 00:16:44,421 -…Swedes or… -…Norwegians? 313 00:16:44,505 --> 00:16:45,964 -And by the way… -…we are… 314 00:16:46,048 --> 00:16:47,716 -…thinking of invading… -…Brazil… 315 00:16:47,799 --> 00:16:50,844 -…Italy, Switzerland… -…and maybe… 316 00:16:50,928 --> 00:16:51,803 …Greenland. 317 00:16:51,887 --> 00:16:53,472 Would you help us? 318 00:16:53,555 --> 00:16:55,682 -We have a lot of weapons… -…and we don't want them to… 319 00:16:55,766 --> 00:16:56,850 …go bad. 320 00:16:56,934 --> 00:16:58,060 -We're good. -We're great. 321 00:16:58,143 --> 00:16:59,728 Listen, we're the best in the world. 322 00:16:59,811 --> 00:17:01,230 Right? Right? 323 00:17:01,313 --> 00:17:02,814 We're America. 324 00:17:04,107 --> 00:17:06,443 [Charlton Heston as George Taylor] You maniacs! 325 00:17:07,319 --> 00:17:10,113 -[audience applauding, cheering] -Welcome back. 326 00:17:10,864 --> 00:17:13,032 Well, it-- it's evidently clear 327 00:17:14,535 --> 00:17:17,579 that our elected officials have failed our Afghan allies. 328 00:17:17,663 --> 00:17:21,834 But the American veterans who fought next to them have not. 329 00:17:21,916 --> 00:17:24,377 Veterans have formed advocacy groups, lobbied Congress, 330 00:17:24,461 --> 00:17:26,839 and, in some cases, set up their own operations 331 00:17:26,922 --> 00:17:30,092 to try and get their interpreters out of Afghanistan. 332 00:17:30,175 --> 00:17:31,802 To hear more about these efforts 333 00:17:31,885 --> 00:17:35,472 and the efforts to make it here through SIV or humanitarian parole, 334 00:17:35,556 --> 00:17:37,099 we have Matt Watters, 335 00:17:37,182 --> 00:17:40,060 a US Special Forces sergeant who served in Afghanistan, 336 00:17:40,143 --> 00:17:41,478 and Shafiullah Sahil, 337 00:17:41,562 --> 00:17:45,440 a former Afghan interpreter for the US Special forces. 338 00:17:45,524 --> 00:17:47,568 -Guys, welcome very much. -[audience applauding] 339 00:17:47,651 --> 00:17:48,902 Thank you for having us. 340 00:17:49,736 --> 00:17:53,490 Matt, uh, uh, I'm gonna start with you. 341 00:17:53,574 --> 00:17:55,951 How did you get involved with-- 342 00:17:56,034 --> 00:17:57,494 Was-- Was Shafiullah Sahil-- 343 00:17:57,578 --> 00:17:59,997 -And you go by Sahil? -Yes, last name is Sahil. 344 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:01,874 Uh, was Sahil your interpreter? 345 00:18:01,957 --> 00:18:04,668 And is that how you got involved with this? 346 00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:07,462 Well, so, I deployed to Afghanistan in 2020. 347 00:18:07,546 --> 00:18:10,465 And, um, we were part of a counterterrorism force. 348 00:18:10,549 --> 00:18:13,760 Afghan Special Forces was working with US Special Forces. 349 00:18:13,844 --> 00:18:17,723 And, you know, I speak as much Pashto or Dari as they spoke English. 350 00:18:17,806 --> 00:18:20,267 And so we needed Sahil and other interpreters 351 00:18:20,350 --> 00:18:22,561 to make sure that the mission could actually happen. 352 00:18:22,644 --> 00:18:24,730 And Sahil actually saved my life on that deployment, 353 00:18:24,813 --> 00:18:26,523 as well as other members of our team. 354 00:18:26,607 --> 00:18:29,276 -So we got to know him really well, and-- -[Stewart] No, no, no. 355 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:30,360 Sahil… 356 00:18:31,361 --> 00:18:34,239 -Look at you. -[chuckles] 357 00:18:34,323 --> 00:18:35,240 What happened? 358 00:18:35,324 --> 00:18:38,869 So, uh, once in-- in one compound, uh, 359 00:18:38,952 --> 00:18:41,371 I was just speaking with the kids of the village. 360 00:18:41,455 --> 00:18:46,543 And I was trying to get some, uh, important information from them. 361 00:18:46,627 --> 00:18:49,838 So… [stammers] …one of the, uh, kids said, like, 362 00:18:49,922 --> 00:18:54,426 "The Taliban told us they had some mines, IEDs on the way." 363 00:18:54,510 --> 00:18:57,930 So they told the villagers not to walk that way 364 00:18:58,013 --> 00:19:01,141 because they-- they knew that the team is coming here. 365 00:19:01,225 --> 00:19:02,559 So Matt was standing, and I just told-- 366 00:19:02,643 --> 00:19:05,395 "Hey, sir, uh, this kid is saying these things." 367 00:19:05,479 --> 00:19:08,524 So after that, we just became best friends and… 368 00:19:09,316 --> 00:19:11,109 -[panelists chuckling] -That'll do it. 369 00:19:11,735 --> 00:19:14,696 Uh, I once helped a friend of mine move. 370 00:19:14,780 --> 00:19:17,282 [panelists, audience laughing] 371 00:19:17,366 --> 00:19:20,494 It's so interesting to hear the government talk about, "We must vet these people." 372 00:19:20,577 --> 00:19:23,080 The level of trust-- You've just met. 373 00:19:23,163 --> 00:19:25,791 That information was crucial to you. 374 00:19:25,874 --> 00:19:28,126 Yeah, we hadn't asked him to talk to the local kids. 375 00:19:28,210 --> 00:19:30,254 And so it was kind of an eye-opening experience 376 00:19:30,337 --> 00:19:32,464 about how seriously he took his job 377 00:19:32,548 --> 00:19:36,176 and also how vital he was to our survival while we were there. 378 00:19:36,260 --> 00:19:39,137 Are you nervous at this point 379 00:19:39,221 --> 00:19:43,308 that the US is going to withdraw and you're going to be left vulnerable? 380 00:19:43,392 --> 00:19:46,436 So at that time, we didn't know that the US will be leaving. 381 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:47,980 That's why the missions were stopped. 382 00:19:48,564 --> 00:19:53,277 And after, like, f-few months, the threats started from the Taliban. 383 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:54,361 So they said, like, 384 00:19:54,444 --> 00:19:58,866 "We found out who you are. You have killed our brothers." 385 00:19:58,949 --> 00:20:02,369 Or, like, mujahideen. "And you were involved on those missions." 386 00:20:02,452 --> 00:20:06,415 So, they were about to find my place, and they wanna find me and… 387 00:20:06,498 --> 00:20:08,917 -[Stewart] You have a family. -…and kill me. I have a family. 388 00:20:09,001 --> 00:20:13,881 And finally after that I got a phone call, and that phone call, 389 00:20:13,964 --> 00:20:16,258 the guy was asking me, "Are you Shafi?" 390 00:20:16,341 --> 00:20:17,843 I said, "Yes. Wh-- Who are you?" 391 00:20:18,343 --> 00:20:19,928 He said, "Okay, don't ask who I am. 392 00:20:20,012 --> 00:20:24,433 I found you, and, uh, I will show you who I am once I catch you." 393 00:20:25,350 --> 00:20:28,103 -And then you see-- -Sahil, you have got to get caller ID. 394 00:20:28,187 --> 00:20:30,314 -L-Let me explain something. -[chuckles] 395 00:20:30,397 --> 00:20:34,067 This is fright-- Do you have any idea that this is now happening to Sahil? 396 00:20:34,568 --> 00:20:38,906 Yeah, so, um, Sahil and I stayed in touch after the deployment. 397 00:20:38,989 --> 00:20:41,116 -[Stewart] Okay. -And we texted back and forth. 398 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:45,162 And, I mean, for myself and for other members of my team, 399 00:20:45,245 --> 00:20:47,748 it was nerve-racking because this guy had saved our lives, 400 00:20:47,831 --> 00:20:50,751 and now we're basically sacrificing him to be targeted by the enemy 401 00:20:50,834 --> 00:20:52,836 that we had all targeted together. 402 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,256 And it didn't sit right, and so, we knew about the SIV program. 403 00:20:56,340 --> 00:20:57,799 We helped him fill out the paperwork. 404 00:20:57,883 --> 00:21:00,177 We gave him some money, told him to go into hiding. 405 00:21:00,260 --> 00:21:03,680 And then, um, we had to wait about two months, 406 00:21:03,764 --> 00:21:05,766 and then we found out that he was denied. 407 00:21:05,849 --> 00:21:06,683 Yeah. 408 00:21:06,767 --> 00:21:08,143 Why were you denied? 409 00:21:08,227 --> 00:21:12,439 So, I was just like, uh, 17 days short of the work-- 410 00:21:12,523 --> 00:21:15,526 the minimum work requirement that they want for the SIV. 411 00:21:15,609 --> 00:21:17,986 Yeah, and we thought that he would be grandfathered in 412 00:21:18,070 --> 00:21:20,030 because he didn't choose to stop working. 413 00:21:20,113 --> 00:21:22,491 The United States government terminated his contract. 414 00:21:22,574 --> 00:21:25,744 And so, it wasn't like this was something due to bad performance 415 00:21:25,827 --> 00:21:26,828 or any issue like that. 416 00:21:28,539 --> 00:21:32,251 In that moment, do you feel like there's no recourse for you? 417 00:21:32,334 --> 00:21:33,335 Do you feel hopeless? 418 00:21:33,418 --> 00:21:35,379 So, I was just hiding at home 419 00:21:35,462 --> 00:21:38,674 on the 15th of August when the Taliban took over the country. 420 00:21:38,757 --> 00:21:41,593 So then, uh, Matt and the other team members, 421 00:21:41,677 --> 00:21:44,555 they just told me to have your kids and wife and go to the Kabul airport. 422 00:21:44,638 --> 00:21:48,559 And we-- we went because we had no f-- no other choice. 423 00:21:48,642 --> 00:21:50,769 -You go to the airport in Kabul. -[Sahil] Mm-hmm. 424 00:21:50,853 --> 00:21:53,313 You're there with your children, who are how old? 425 00:21:53,397 --> 00:21:55,566 My oldest son is five years, 426 00:21:55,649 --> 00:21:57,860 and my daughter, she's three years. 427 00:21:57,943 --> 00:22:00,153 And my wife, she was pregnant at that time. 428 00:22:01,363 --> 00:22:04,616 Did they just wave you in? H-How did-- What happened? 429 00:22:04,700 --> 00:22:07,244 [Sahil] Thousands of people were trying to get into the airport. 430 00:22:07,327 --> 00:22:09,872 There was a lot of shooting and firing, you know? 431 00:22:09,955 --> 00:22:12,541 And the people just were-- They were just running toward us. 432 00:22:12,624 --> 00:22:15,085 And at that time, my wife, she just tripped. 433 00:22:15,169 --> 00:22:18,005 She tripped over, and the people were running over. 434 00:22:18,547 --> 00:22:20,299 So-- And I had my both kids. 435 00:22:20,382 --> 00:22:24,136 And I also didn't want the people to run over my kids. 436 00:22:24,219 --> 00:22:28,390 And I was trying to block the people, uh, and also save my wife. 437 00:22:29,183 --> 00:22:30,642 And then she collapsed. 438 00:22:30,726 --> 00:22:33,896 And finally, I mean, because of the very hot weather, 439 00:22:33,979 --> 00:22:37,858 my kids were about to-- I was thinking that they are going to die. 440 00:22:37,941 --> 00:22:40,444 And the water that we had with us for drinking, 441 00:22:40,527 --> 00:22:43,739 I was just pouring that water on my kids' heads. 442 00:22:43,822 --> 00:22:46,700 I didn't want to, uh, lose them. 443 00:22:47,492 --> 00:22:51,747 So, after three days, struggling to get into the airport, 444 00:22:51,830 --> 00:22:55,626 Matt told-- spoke to some soldiers inside the airport. 445 00:22:56,293 --> 00:23:00,589 And, uh, M-M-- he told me to have my daughter, Mina. 446 00:23:00,672 --> 00:23:02,299 She had a red dress. 447 00:23:02,382 --> 00:23:06,929 And I put her on my shoulder that the soldier can identify me 448 00:23:07,012 --> 00:23:08,597 -and they can let me in. -[Stewart] Oh, wow. 449 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:13,227 After that, we landed in Washington on 26th August last year. 450 00:23:13,894 --> 00:23:17,314 -When-- When were you-- Please. Uh… -[audience applauding] 451 00:23:17,940 --> 00:23:20,734 When-- When were you able to reconnect? 452 00:23:21,860 --> 00:23:24,530 Uh, I think it was sometime in September. 453 00:23:24,613 --> 00:23:26,990 I got a text from a USCIS officer. 454 00:23:27,074 --> 00:23:29,535 So, US Citizen and Immigration Services. 455 00:23:29,618 --> 00:23:33,372 And, um, they said that this guy named Sahil is in New Jersey, 456 00:23:33,455 --> 00:23:35,040 and he wants to see you. 457 00:23:35,123 --> 00:23:37,960 And, I was pretty blown away 'cause I live in New Jersey. 458 00:23:38,043 --> 00:23:40,921 -Uh… -[all laughing] 459 00:23:42,798 --> 00:23:44,341 -So I drove there as-- -[Stewart] So-- Just-- 460 00:23:44,424 --> 00:23:47,511 I mean, New Jersey's a big place. You're not gonna just run into each other. 461 00:23:47,594 --> 00:23:49,972 -Yeah. -Uh, and-and he was able to-- 462 00:23:50,055 --> 00:23:52,975 And-And at that point, what-- 463 00:23:53,058 --> 00:23:54,810 Did the government set you up somewhere? 464 00:23:54,893 --> 00:23:56,019 H-How-- What happened? 465 00:23:56,103 --> 00:23:58,605 So, they took us to the hotel, 466 00:23:58,689 --> 00:24:01,400 and then Matt and-- His father, actually. 467 00:24:01,483 --> 00:24:05,153 His father came to the hotel, and, uh, he took me to their house. 468 00:24:05,779 --> 00:24:08,490 So, we are still living with them in that house. 469 00:24:08,574 --> 00:24:09,575 [Stewart] Oh, really? 470 00:24:09,658 --> 00:24:11,368 -Yeah. -[chuckles] And they have helped us. 471 00:24:11,451 --> 00:24:13,579 -[audience applauding] -[Stewart] Remarkable. 472 00:24:17,416 --> 00:24:21,420 A US veteran fighting the anger of moral injury, 473 00:24:21,503 --> 00:24:27,134 having to go above and beyond to pull the man who saved his life, 474 00:24:27,217 --> 00:24:28,927 whose life is now under threat. 475 00:24:29,011 --> 00:24:35,142 And this is the best-case scenario that this country has to offer right now. 476 00:24:35,225 --> 00:24:37,561 Wasn't there something called the Afghan Adjustment Act 477 00:24:37,644 --> 00:24:40,147 which was gaining some momentum in a bipartisan fashion? 478 00:24:40,230 --> 00:24:41,732 And what happened to that? 479 00:24:41,815 --> 00:24:43,650 Well, so, I think there's two groups of people. 480 00:24:43,734 --> 00:24:46,445 Um, there's basically the Afghans who are here in the United States 481 00:24:46,528 --> 00:24:47,529 under humanitarian parole. 482 00:24:47,613 --> 00:24:50,032 -That grants 'em two years legal status. -Right. Two years-- 483 00:24:50,616 --> 00:24:54,453 For those people, like Sahil, um, they're basically in their second year. 484 00:24:54,536 --> 00:24:57,748 So they're nervous that they're gonna be deported after that time period is up. 485 00:24:57,831 --> 00:25:00,000 And so they need the Afghan Adjustment Act, 486 00:25:00,083 --> 00:25:02,586 which will basically grant them a path to getting a green card. 487 00:25:03,086 --> 00:25:04,379 For the second group of people, 488 00:25:04,463 --> 00:25:08,467 which is 100,000-plus people who have applied for an SIV 489 00:25:08,550 --> 00:25:10,135 and are still stuck in Afghanistan-- 490 00:25:10,219 --> 00:25:13,388 So the State Department, right now, flies out about 150 a week. 491 00:25:13,472 --> 00:25:15,516 -If you just do the math-- -150? 492 00:25:15,599 --> 00:25:16,600 150. 493 00:25:16,683 --> 00:25:20,437 And there's 100,000-- 150,000 there? 494 00:25:20,521 --> 00:25:22,356 It's gonna take decades with that. 495 00:25:22,439 --> 00:25:23,732 We're never getting it done. 496 00:25:23,815 --> 00:25:25,400 They're not gonna be around by the time-- 497 00:25:25,484 --> 00:25:26,860 -Right. That's insane. -Yeah. 498 00:25:26,944 --> 00:25:29,279 And so, they need more flights. 499 00:25:29,363 --> 00:25:33,408 We also have, uh, a gentleman right now in Afghanistan, 500 00:25:33,909 --> 00:25:35,536 uh, who is joining us. 501 00:25:35,619 --> 00:25:38,247 We're obviously going to blur his face. 502 00:25:38,330 --> 00:25:40,749 And, uh, we will call him "Mosa." 503 00:25:40,832 --> 00:25:45,546 Uh, he also worked for, uh, the United States. 504 00:25:45,629 --> 00:25:49,383 Uh, Mosa, you are in Afghanistan at this moment. 505 00:25:49,466 --> 00:25:51,260 Yes, I am. I am, Jon. 506 00:25:51,343 --> 00:25:55,764 Mosa, I wanna ask you a question. Was there an implied, uh, agreement 507 00:25:55,848 --> 00:25:59,184 between you and who you were working with, the United States, 508 00:25:59,268 --> 00:26:00,978 that you would have safe passage? 509 00:26:01,061 --> 00:26:03,564 Yeah, uh, Jon, uh, when-- 510 00:26:03,647 --> 00:26:06,024 when the Taliban took control of the country, 511 00:26:06,108 --> 00:26:09,611 uh, I was pretty sure that I am among the evacuees 512 00:26:09,695 --> 00:26:12,781 because I managed my job very well, 513 00:26:12,865 --> 00:26:15,868 and beside that I was also an SIV applicant, 514 00:26:15,951 --> 00:26:19,413 which means that the Department of State have my data. 515 00:26:19,496 --> 00:26:23,458 But, unfortunately, uh, I failed to get inside the airport. 516 00:26:23,542 --> 00:26:28,088 What has your life been like since those chaotic days, 517 00:26:28,172 --> 00:26:32,426 waiting for some bureaucratic progress from the United States? 518 00:26:32,509 --> 00:26:36,471 I live in hiding since, uh, I'm left behind. 519 00:26:36,555 --> 00:26:38,265 [stammers] 520 00:26:38,348 --> 00:26:42,978 And I change my appearance, uh, when I go outside for any needs 521 00:26:43,061 --> 00:26:46,690 or to buy any groceries for home, and it's very difficult. 522 00:26:46,773 --> 00:26:49,651 And beside that, um, I have two children, Jon. 523 00:26:49,735 --> 00:26:53,071 One is six years old, and another-- my daughter is three years old. 524 00:26:54,072 --> 00:26:57,326 I'm not able to send them to school because, uh, I'm scared. 525 00:26:57,409 --> 00:27:02,623 I'm also very-- in a criti-- facing a very critical financial situation as well. 526 00:27:02,706 --> 00:27:06,585 And it's very difficult right now, the life is very difficult here. 527 00:27:06,668 --> 00:27:09,963 Uh, I need the United States government 528 00:27:10,047 --> 00:27:13,008 to expedite the process and get me out of the country. 529 00:27:14,134 --> 00:27:19,681 Uh, well, Mosa, I can't thank you enough for, uh, risking your life 530 00:27:19,765 --> 00:27:23,185 on behalf of the American people. 531 00:27:23,268 --> 00:27:25,729 Uh, I truly hope that-- 532 00:27:26,772 --> 00:27:30,609 that we're able to break through whatever political impasse there is. 533 00:27:30,692 --> 00:27:33,654 And thank you so much for joining us, and please stay safe. 534 00:27:34,780 --> 00:27:36,823 Thank you, Jon. Thank you. 535 00:27:36,907 --> 00:27:38,158 [Stewart] Thank you, Mosa. 536 00:27:38,242 --> 00:27:39,952 Uh, thank you, Sahil. Thank you, Matt. 537 00:27:40,035 --> 00:27:43,914 Uh, it's certainly the least that we can do as a country, 538 00:27:43,997 --> 00:27:46,834 and we appreciate you being here to, uh, share your stories. 539 00:27:46,917 --> 00:27:49,169 -Take a look at this. -[audience applauding] 540 00:27:50,546 --> 00:27:52,506 [announcer] Hey there, other country. 541 00:27:52,589 --> 00:27:55,175 Has American foreign policy let you down? 542 00:27:55,259 --> 00:27:58,595 Did the support we promised disappear in a puff? 543 00:27:58,679 --> 00:28:01,306 Have you been fucked in the name of freedom? 544 00:28:01,390 --> 00:28:04,518 -Why don't you… enjoy a Happy Meal? -[audience laughing] 545 00:28:04,601 --> 00:28:08,397 Yeah, America did that too, and you're loving it. 546 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,191 So when our regular imperialism lets you down, 547 00:28:12,401 --> 00:28:16,321 our cultural imperialism will be there to pick you up. 548 00:28:16,405 --> 00:28:17,573 Drone attack? 549 00:28:17,656 --> 00:28:18,866 Yummy! 550 00:28:18,949 --> 00:28:19,992 Secret coup? 551 00:28:20,075 --> 00:28:21,451 Hello. 552 00:28:21,535 --> 00:28:22,953 Illegal arms sale? 553 00:28:23,036 --> 00:28:24,246 Delicious. 554 00:28:24,329 --> 00:28:26,164 More illegal arms sales? 555 00:28:26,248 --> 00:28:27,749 Mmm. 556 00:28:27,833 --> 00:28:31,044 We just can't stop selling guns to bad people. 557 00:28:31,128 --> 00:28:32,629 [purrs] 558 00:28:32,713 --> 00:28:35,090 The point is, wars may come and go. 559 00:28:35,174 --> 00:28:37,384 And presidents change every four to eight years. 560 00:28:37,467 --> 00:28:39,970 But you know who will never let you down? 561 00:28:44,266 --> 00:28:47,769 Freedom ain't free but McDonald's has a dollar menu, 562 00:28:47,853 --> 00:28:49,855 which is super almost free. 563 00:28:50,856 --> 00:28:53,567 Offer not good in countries that invaded Ukraine. 564 00:28:53,650 --> 00:28:55,110 [audience murmuring] 565 00:28:55,194 --> 00:28:57,613 [audience laughing, applauding] 566 00:28:57,696 --> 00:28:58,780 All right. 567 00:28:59,990 --> 00:29:01,116 Now… 568 00:29:02,492 --> 00:29:04,786 For any meaningful bill to get passed in the Senate 569 00:29:04,870 --> 00:29:06,371 that could help our Afghan allies, 570 00:29:06,455 --> 00:29:09,124 it must go through the bipartisan Judiciary Committee. 571 00:29:09,208 --> 00:29:12,544 So we went down to DC to speak with the chair of that committee 572 00:29:12,628 --> 00:29:14,630 and see what the holdup is. 573 00:29:20,010 --> 00:29:24,515 Senator Durbin, you are the chair of the Judiciary Committee, 574 00:29:24,598 --> 00:29:30,854 powerful committee that has jurisdiction over immigration policy in America. 575 00:29:30,938 --> 00:29:34,149 So, in terms of the Afghan translators, 576 00:29:34,233 --> 00:29:36,401 there's humanitarian parole, 577 00:29:36,485 --> 00:29:39,988 there's the Special Immigration Visa program, SIV, 578 00:29:40,072 --> 00:29:43,116 and there's just applying for standard refugee status. 579 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:49,289 So, is SIV-- Is that the best avenue 580 00:29:49,373 --> 00:29:54,711 for, uh, those Afghans who are looking to come here 581 00:29:54,795 --> 00:29:58,006 and escape the Taliban and escape that situation? 582 00:29:58,090 --> 00:30:00,759 A lot of people here are on humanitarian parole. 583 00:30:00,843 --> 00:30:03,971 [stammers] I describe it as the new rule in baseball 584 00:30:04,054 --> 00:30:08,267 that says, a tie game and extra innings, you put somebody on second base, 585 00:30:08,350 --> 00:30:11,019 uh, in the hopes that the game will end sooner. 586 00:30:11,103 --> 00:30:14,982 Well, humanitarian parole puts that person on second base 587 00:30:15,065 --> 00:30:17,442 but never guarantees that a batter's coming up. 588 00:30:17,526 --> 00:30:19,570 So they may turn the lights out in the stadium, 589 00:30:19,653 --> 00:30:22,531 and you're still sitting there on second base, saying, "I'm going nowhere." 590 00:30:22,614 --> 00:30:23,615 -SIV-- -[Stewart] Although… 591 00:30:24,366 --> 00:30:27,619 second base might be better than the dugout, which is being bombed. 592 00:30:27,703 --> 00:30:30,038 [chuckles] That's right. I concede that point. 593 00:30:30,122 --> 00:30:31,790 -Right. -When it gets down to SIV, 594 00:30:31,874 --> 00:30:34,543 these are people who have a legitimate claim that, 595 00:30:34,626 --> 00:30:37,754 "We were there for you. Now be there for us." 596 00:30:37,838 --> 00:30:40,966 The problem is that their numbers are large. 597 00:30:41,049 --> 00:30:44,219 And the system that Biden inherited from Trump 598 00:30:44,303 --> 00:30:46,430 was in shambles, intentionally. 599 00:30:46,513 --> 00:30:48,724 -Mm-hmm. -And what we're doing is vetting. 600 00:30:48,807 --> 00:30:51,560 We're asking hard questions about who these people are. 601 00:30:52,060 --> 00:30:56,773 And they're saying, "The documents that prove what we did are gone. 602 00:30:56,857 --> 00:30:59,151 We left them behind. In fact we were told to. 603 00:30:59,234 --> 00:31:01,153 Don't take anything incriminating 604 00:31:01,236 --> 00:31:04,823 to a spot where the Afghans-- Taliban can use it against you." 605 00:31:04,907 --> 00:31:07,409 Uh, and so th-there are all sorts of hurdles. 606 00:31:07,492 --> 00:31:10,954 The administration is working toward the same-- the same goal, which we share. 607 00:31:11,038 --> 00:31:12,164 Right. 608 00:31:12,247 --> 00:31:14,208 It's just a massive undertaking. 609 00:31:14,291 --> 00:31:15,834 Let's get to the vetting 'cause this is-- 610 00:31:15,918 --> 00:31:19,379 Right now, I was looking at the SIV program, and, uh… 611 00:31:20,422 --> 00:31:22,257 So, if you want to apply for SIV-- 612 00:31:22,341 --> 00:31:23,717 Let's say they were a translator, 613 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,304 and now they're in hiding from the Taliban and they're living in Afghanistan. 614 00:31:27,387 --> 00:31:28,388 And, uh-- 615 00:31:28,472 --> 00:31:32,142 So, the first thing they need to do is get a one-year employment verification letter. 616 00:31:32,976 --> 00:31:37,272 Then they'd get a recommendation letter from a direct supervisor. 617 00:31:37,356 --> 00:31:41,318 You have to complete the Form DS-157. 618 00:31:41,401 --> 00:31:45,531 That's your-- your Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application. 619 00:31:45,614 --> 00:31:48,200 I'm only going through this 'cause I'm helping my son apply to college. 620 00:31:48,283 --> 00:31:49,660 -It's a very similar process. -[chuckles] 621 00:31:49,743 --> 00:31:51,995 Here's one that I thought was interesting. 622 00:31:52,079 --> 00:31:56,166 "A scanned copy of Afghan electronic passport." 623 00:31:56,250 --> 00:31:58,669 And then a scanned copy of your employee badge. 624 00:31:58,752 --> 00:32:02,714 Well, then what you would do is, you would scan your documents, 625 00:32:02,798 --> 00:32:06,844 uh, and then upload them, submit them. 626 00:32:06,927 --> 00:32:08,637 So, uh… 627 00:32:10,639 --> 00:32:12,140 are we insane? 628 00:32:13,141 --> 00:32:18,522 [stammers] They're living in a country where they're on the run from the Taliban. 629 00:32:19,481 --> 00:32:21,108 They worked for us. 630 00:32:21,191 --> 00:32:25,612 Why are we asking them to submit letters of recommendation 631 00:32:25,696 --> 00:32:28,198 when they worked for us? 632 00:32:28,282 --> 00:32:30,576 W-We've already got all that from them. 633 00:32:30,659 --> 00:32:31,910 The premise is sound. 634 00:32:31,994 --> 00:32:35,163 We never want to allow a dangerous person, knowingly… 635 00:32:35,247 --> 00:32:36,081 Right. 636 00:32:36,164 --> 00:32:39,501 …to come into this country or to stay here if they're a danger to Americans. 637 00:32:39,585 --> 00:32:40,586 Sure. But this is even-- 638 00:32:40,669 --> 00:32:44,173 I mean, even if you get that done and you get approved… 639 00:32:46,341 --> 00:32:49,094 you have to go to the embassy. 640 00:32:49,178 --> 00:32:50,971 -You need an interview. -Yes. 641 00:32:51,763 --> 00:32:53,265 Do we have an embassy there? 642 00:32:53,348 --> 00:32:55,893 -I'm not sure it's a functioning embassy. -[laughs] 643 00:32:55,976 --> 00:32:58,061 -[stammers] In the consulate-- -It's a building. 644 00:32:58,145 --> 00:33:01,064 So, we're talking about the need for a lily pad. 645 00:33:01,148 --> 00:33:06,028 Uh, and that may mean leaving Afghanistan to go to a third country in the meantime. 646 00:33:06,111 --> 00:33:10,073 But why are we treating allied workers, 647 00:33:10,157 --> 00:33:14,578 those who risked their lives on behalf of the United States of America in a war-- 648 00:33:14,661 --> 00:33:19,958 Why are we putting them through a process as though they were an unknown entity-- 649 00:33:20,042 --> 00:33:22,127 -Doesn't make sense. No. -It doesn't make sense. 650 00:33:22,211 --> 00:33:25,380 So, what we have is this Afghan Adjustment Act, 651 00:33:25,464 --> 00:33:29,635 which Senator Klobuchar, Democrat, Graham, Republican, 652 00:33:29,718 --> 00:33:33,180 are cosponsoring with other Democrats and Republicans, 653 00:33:33,263 --> 00:33:35,474 which basically said, "Okay, you want more vetting? 654 00:33:35,557 --> 00:33:37,142 We're for vetting. Let's do it." 655 00:33:37,226 --> 00:33:43,857 On a scale of reparations for African Americans to PACT Act, 656 00:33:43,941 --> 00:33:46,693 how close are we to getting that done? 657 00:33:46,777 --> 00:33:48,237 On that continuum. 658 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,113 There are bipartisan, uh-- 659 00:33:50,197 --> 00:33:52,658 There is a bipartisan group supporting this bill. 660 00:33:52,741 --> 00:33:53,992 -Right. -It's good. 661 00:33:54,076 --> 00:33:58,080 But we need that critical number of ten, uh, Republicans who will support us. 662 00:33:58,830 --> 00:34:01,375 We wanna get it on a bill that has to pass. 663 00:34:01,458 --> 00:34:03,919 Uh, I won't try and explain what's wrong with the Senate. 664 00:34:04,002 --> 00:34:05,504 It'd take too long. But-- 665 00:34:05,587 --> 00:34:07,422 You want to attach it to, like, an omnibus 666 00:34:07,506 --> 00:34:11,802 or the-- the defense spending NDAA so that, uh, they can sneak it in there. 667 00:34:11,885 --> 00:34:13,929 You-- They wouldn't do it as a stand-alone. 668 00:34:14,012 --> 00:34:17,306 Not sneak it in, but put it on a bill that is destined to pass. 669 00:34:17,391 --> 00:34:20,936 -Uh, and… [stammers] -[Stewart, audience laughing] 670 00:34:21,018 --> 00:34:23,522 -You say potato. -I say po-tah-to. 671 00:34:23,605 --> 00:34:26,817 Now, if it-- If it passes, what changes? 672 00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:31,655 We create this pathway for many of these Afghan refugees 673 00:34:31,737 --> 00:34:35,409 to eventually get the ticket to ride, a green card. 674 00:34:35,492 --> 00:34:36,869 Graham and Klobuchar have said, 675 00:34:36,952 --> 00:34:38,453 "If you wanna vet, keep vetting. 676 00:34:38,536 --> 00:34:40,080 But get it done quickly, 677 00:34:40,163 --> 00:34:42,291 because there are so many people that deserve our help." 678 00:34:42,373 --> 00:34:45,127 Well, look-- [stammers] Let's take a different tack for a moment. 679 00:34:45,210 --> 00:34:47,880 Ukraine is having, obviously, uh-- 680 00:34:47,963 --> 00:34:50,591 They're at war with-- You know, Russia has invaded them. 681 00:34:50,674 --> 00:34:52,592 And they have a humanitarian crisis. 682 00:34:52,676 --> 00:34:59,433 And so we create a program for Ukraine and Ukrainians who wish to come here. 683 00:34:59,516 --> 00:35:01,560 And within a couple of months, 684 00:35:01,643 --> 00:35:07,065 I think 100,000 Ukrainians have come here on humanitarian, uh, status. 685 00:35:07,149 --> 00:35:10,110 Ukraine has a difficult time, even in their own country, 686 00:35:10,194 --> 00:35:13,697 determining who might be helping the war effort for Russia. 687 00:35:13,780 --> 00:35:18,493 And for Afghans, we throw up our hands and say, 688 00:35:18,577 --> 00:35:22,539 "Look, we're trying, but you just have to be able to get a scanner." 689 00:35:22,623 --> 00:35:25,167 -C-Consider the contrast. -Yeah. 690 00:35:25,250 --> 00:35:29,546 Uh, when it comes to governments, we trust the Ukrainian government, 691 00:35:29,630 --> 00:35:31,381 and we are working with them. 692 00:35:31,465 --> 00:35:36,303 Taxpayers are supporting them in massive amounts to defeat Putin. 693 00:35:36,386 --> 00:35:38,138 I-I'm not suggesting that, uh, 694 00:35:38,222 --> 00:35:42,434 that program for humanitarian parole for Ukrainians is wrong. 695 00:35:42,518 --> 00:35:47,731 I'm only suggesting that Afghans have certainly earned something 696 00:35:47,814 --> 00:35:49,983 much more robust than what they're getting. 697 00:35:50,067 --> 00:35:52,110 -But the point I was trying to get to is… -Yeah. 698 00:35:52,194 --> 00:35:56,156 …Ukraine is a government that works with the United States. 699 00:35:56,240 --> 00:35:57,991 The same can't be said for the Taliban. 700 00:35:58,075 --> 00:36:00,577 -In terms of-- -But these people worked for us. 701 00:36:00,661 --> 00:36:02,162 -Do we trust us? -They worked for-- 702 00:36:02,246 --> 00:36:06,041 They worked for us, but the folks who are resisting this in Congress… 703 00:36:06,124 --> 00:36:07,960 -Yes. -…on the Republican side-- 704 00:36:08,043 --> 00:36:11,213 Some of them don't want any immigrants from anywhere. 705 00:36:11,296 --> 00:36:13,173 -I mean, that is a closely-- -Right. 706 00:36:13,257 --> 00:36:14,967 Not a closely guarded secret. 707 00:36:15,050 --> 00:36:16,051 And secondly, 708 00:36:16,134 --> 00:36:20,681 when you're dealing with non-white, non-Christian immigrants, 709 00:36:20,764 --> 00:36:25,185 uh, the record suggests that they're going to be more, um, skeptical 710 00:36:25,269 --> 00:36:26,770 as to whether they should be allowed. 711 00:36:26,854 --> 00:36:30,983 Why won't the administration, then, create a humanitarian relief program? 712 00:36:31,066 --> 00:36:32,067 I mean, basically, 713 00:36:32,150 --> 00:36:35,362 the Ukrainian humanitarian parole was not a legislative act. 714 00:36:35,445 --> 00:36:36,446 It was an executive act. 715 00:36:36,530 --> 00:36:38,824 It seems convenient to be able to say, 716 00:36:38,907 --> 00:36:41,785 "Republicans won't vote for the Adjustment Act," 717 00:36:41,869 --> 00:36:44,288 or, "It will be difficult to convince them." 718 00:36:44,371 --> 00:36:45,914 But there's not a lot of evidence 719 00:36:45,998 --> 00:36:49,751 that the Democrats have the stomach to push it, 720 00:36:49,835 --> 00:36:51,211 to put it on the floor, 721 00:36:51,295 --> 00:36:55,174 or that the executive has the stomach to issue an order. 722 00:36:55,257 --> 00:36:56,842 -Well, I can tell you this. -Yeah. 723 00:36:56,925 --> 00:36:59,011 This room where I chair this committee-- 724 00:36:59,094 --> 00:37:01,263 By the way, beautiful. 725 00:37:01,346 --> 00:37:02,764 [chuckling] Thank you. 726 00:37:02,848 --> 00:37:04,683 -We have confrontation here. -Mm-hmm. 727 00:37:04,766 --> 00:37:07,186 -And I'm not afraid of that at all. -Sure. 728 00:37:07,269 --> 00:37:09,563 Uh, I think the president's on board for all of that. 729 00:37:09,646 --> 00:37:11,356 I don't think he's resisting any of it. 730 00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:12,816 As for the timing of it, 731 00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:17,738 I haven't noticed anything that says we're going slow for some political reason. 732 00:37:17,821 --> 00:37:19,823 [stammers] He's moving as quickly as he can. 733 00:37:19,907 --> 00:37:24,369 The veterans who fought for America in Afghanistan. 734 00:37:24,453 --> 00:37:27,414 They feel a great debt of gratitude 735 00:37:28,207 --> 00:37:32,336 to all those in Afghanistan who risked their lives on their behalf, 736 00:37:32,419 --> 00:37:35,130 and they feel that we've betrayed them. 737 00:37:35,631 --> 00:37:40,302 Not just the, uh, Afghans, but the veterans as well. 738 00:37:40,385 --> 00:37:43,096 That we've betrayed their sacrifice. 739 00:37:44,097 --> 00:37:45,307 I think they're right. 740 00:37:45,390 --> 00:37:46,975 -When it gets right down to it. -Mmm. 741 00:37:47,059 --> 00:37:51,480 Uh, I think we should've given special consideration to those SIVs-- 742 00:37:51,563 --> 00:37:55,234 or those that really risked their lives and their families' lives 743 00:37:55,317 --> 00:37:57,861 to help us and to keep our troops safe. 744 00:37:57,945 --> 00:37:59,029 I mean, for God's sake. 745 00:37:59,112 --> 00:38:01,698 God forbid we're ever in a similar situation in the future, 746 00:38:01,782 --> 00:38:03,450 we want the native population to say, 747 00:38:03,534 --> 00:38:05,118 "These people are not bad people. 748 00:38:05,202 --> 00:38:07,538 The Americans are here for the right reason. Let's help 'em." 749 00:38:07,621 --> 00:38:09,665 How could we possibly make that case? 750 00:38:09,748 --> 00:38:11,458 Well, we can't make the case 751 00:38:11,542 --> 00:38:14,545 when you look back at how we treated these, uh, folks. 752 00:38:14,628 --> 00:38:20,384 We had provided support for Afghans in a fight against Russia. 753 00:38:21,927 --> 00:38:25,764 And when the Russians withdrew, we withdrew our support. 754 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,811 And that radicalized a good portion. 755 00:38:30,894 --> 00:38:33,146 That's what created Al Qaeda. 756 00:38:34,648 --> 00:38:39,820 How are we not committing the same sin, making the same mistake? 757 00:38:39,903 --> 00:38:42,781 You are guilty of linear rational thinking. 758 00:38:42,865 --> 00:38:44,241 [Stewart, audience laughing] 759 00:38:44,324 --> 00:38:48,078 -We're in the capital of the US. -Yes. 760 00:38:48,161 --> 00:38:50,956 -Election is just weeks away. -Mm-hmm. 761 00:38:51,039 --> 00:38:54,042 And this is not the best moment for linear rational thinking. 762 00:38:54,126 --> 00:38:57,504 What we're trying to do is to beg, borrow, whatever it takes 763 00:38:57,588 --> 00:39:01,592 to get as many of these Afghans who helped us into the United States. 764 00:39:01,675 --> 00:39:03,552 This Adjustment Act, it can pass. 765 00:39:03,635 --> 00:39:05,345 I believe it will pass this year. 766 00:39:05,429 --> 00:39:08,307 Final question, then, would be-- And thank you so much for taking the time. 767 00:39:08,390 --> 00:39:10,184 I know it's an uncomfortable conversation. 768 00:39:10,267 --> 00:39:15,731 If it doesn't find its way into another bill that is sure to pass, 769 00:39:15,814 --> 00:39:18,400 and we don't make it through in the midterms, 770 00:39:18,483 --> 00:39:20,986 would you support the kind of executive action 771 00:39:21,069 --> 00:39:24,823 that we would need to take to get these folks out of harm's way 772 00:39:24,907 --> 00:39:27,826 and to the United States where they could be vetted 773 00:39:27,910 --> 00:39:32,414 but finally be given some safe haven on second base? 774 00:39:32,497 --> 00:39:33,582 Yes. 775 00:39:33,665 --> 00:39:36,001 All right, sir. Much appreciated. 776 00:39:36,084 --> 00:39:37,252 -Thank you -Thank you. 777 00:39:38,170 --> 00:39:39,922 -[audience applauding] -All right. 778 00:39:41,465 --> 00:39:42,674 You believe him, right? 779 00:39:43,759 --> 00:39:45,552 A senator wouldn't lie. 780 00:39:46,762 --> 00:39:49,389 -Would a senator lie to your face? No! -[audience chuckles] 781 00:39:50,307 --> 00:39:52,851 Of course we're gonna believe him. That's our show. 782 00:39:52,935 --> 00:39:55,187 Uh, but clearly, we're not done with this issue. 783 00:39:55,270 --> 00:39:57,940 For more information, please check out these resources. 784 00:39:58,023 --> 00:40:01,485 Or you can always find them at our website, 785 00:40:01,568 --> 00:40:03,529 which I have never visited. 786 00:40:03,612 --> 00:40:05,739 -Never logged onto it. Not even sure. -[audience laughs] 787 00:40:05,822 --> 00:40:08,951 Don't know if it's a password. I don't even know what's on it. 788 00:40:09,826 --> 00:40:12,120 Have heard the podcast. In passing. 789 00:40:13,455 --> 00:40:15,791 -Didn't care for it. -[audience laughing] 790 00:40:15,874 --> 00:40:17,084 Uh, all right, everybody, 791 00:40:17,167 --> 00:40:21,004 it's time for the only thing that would make this episode worse for Afghans, 792 00:40:21,088 --> 00:40:23,507 Ted Cruz sharing his opinion. 793 00:40:23,590 --> 00:40:26,426 Here it is, your moment of Cruz. 794 00:40:26,969 --> 00:40:31,807 You know, we just saw a citizen blogger dressed as Osama bin Laden 795 00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:34,476 cross the Rio Grande. 796 00:40:35,060 --> 00:40:37,145 -Now, nobody stopped him. -[interviewer] Wow. 797 00:40:37,229 --> 00:40:42,234 It suggests to you, gosh, if one person dressed as Osama bin Laden were to cross, 798 00:40:42,317 --> 00:40:45,571 how many other Osama bin Ladens could cross? 799 00:40:45,654 --> 00:40:48,115 [audience applauding, cheering]