Last fall, Congress made a change to the rules of a resettlement program for Afghan interpreters who risked their lives by working for the American government. To be eligible for an American visa, applicants would have to demonstrate that they had worked for the United States for at least two years, rather than one. There was no reason to think the new requirement would affect the roughly 10,300 people who already had pending applications.

But the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, in a baffling move, decided to apply the new rule retroactively. Immigration lawyers fear that it could disqualify thousands of applicants, including some who have been waiting for a visa for years.

This is unfair, and reflects the callous disregard bureaucrats involved in the program have shown toward Afghan interpreters since Congress created the program in 2009. As it is, the application process is drawn out. Afghan interpreters must submit a petition at the United States Embassy in Kabul, providing evidence of their employment, a letter of recommendation from an American supervisor and a description of the threats they have faced as a result of their work. Those who get embassy approval must then submit a formal visa application to the Department of Homeland Security.