ten to 50 and doubling the number of sib in ten to 50 and doubling the number of sib in kabul. even as many embassy personnel sib in kabul. even as many embassy personnel returned to the united states personnel returned to the united states we sent more council officers to kabut states we sent more council officers to kabul to states we sent more council officers to kabul to process sib applications. as a result of these and other applications. as a result of these and other steps including working with congress by may we had reduced the average processing time for special the average processing time for special immigrant visas by more than a year~ special immigrant visas by more than a year~ even special immigrant visas by more than a year. even amid a covid search with a year. even amid a covid search with in a year. even amid a covid search with in kabul injune we continue to issue with in kabul injune we continue to issue the with in kabul injune we continue to is
because we re not going to have the time and capability we have now later. can you articulate what the cost is by waiting? just lives. i mean, there s just no other way to put it. there are 18,000 sib applications right now. we think there s tens of thousands of others who are civic society leaders, women who have led women s rights issues and other who don t even qualify for the program who are at risk. we have to do this before it becomes a crisis. once it s a crisis, it becomes very hard to do. we have an opportunity, a window now to save lives of people who have stood by us and done great work. we have a moral obligation to do so. we re going to debate afghanistan for decades to come. we re going to debate the missteps, the things that went right, the things that went wrong. we ll have that debate. but what i do know to be true is that the next couple months, there is honor to have in standing by people who stood by