After months of deliberation, Congress on Wednesday agreed to a defense bill that allows thousands of Afghans who worked with the American military to immigrate to the United States.

The National Defense Authorization Act for 2020 provides 4,000 Special Immigrant Visas to Afghan interpreters and others whose lives are threatened due to their work with American forces. For former interpreters like Zia Ghafoori, the visas are the difference between life and death.

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