At its meeting on Friday, October 20, 2023, the ISBA Board of Governors formally adopted the following Resolution, which was originally drafted and adopted by the ISBA International and Immigration Law Section Council:

WHEREAS, the State of Illinois is hosting approximately 3,000 Afghans who have sought refuge in the State since August 2021; and

WHEREAS, as one of the largest state bar associations in the country whose members are representing many of these refugees, it is vital that the ISBA use its voice to urge a positive solution to this situation. For these reasons, the International and Immigration Law Section Council asks the ISBA to adopt the following resolution: 

RESOLVED, that the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) urges the federal government to promptly adopt legislation that provides a streamlined path to lawful permanent residency to Afghans in the United States who fled Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 because they were in danger from the Taliban for their association with or support for the United States, international organizations, and the former Afghan government.