The Biden administration on Monday intensified its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan, citing increased levels of Taliban violence. The State Department said Monday that it is expanding the scope of of Afghans eligible for refugee status in the United States “to many thousands of Afghans and their immediate family members who may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation” but who are ineligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because they did not work directly for the U.S. government or didn’t hold their government jobs long enough. By creating a “Priority 2” category for certain Afghan nationals and their family members within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the State Department is expanding eligibility to include current and former employees of U.S.-based aid and development agencies, along with other relief groups that receive U.S. funding. Also eligible are Afghans who are or were employed in Afghanistan …