Tell President BidenIt's a moral obligation to accept Afghan refugees

Posted: Aug. 17, 2021

After 20 years of seemingly endless war, the world is watching in horror as the Taliban retakes Afghanistan and Afghans cling to the wings of departing American planes.

Whatever one thinks of the war or the U.S. withdrawal, the news that Taliban fighters are going door-to-door hunting for people who helped not only Americans but also non-profits shows that we have a moral obligation to save as many lives as possible and welcome vulnerable Afghan refugees.

Tragically, most are being abandoned to face the Taliban's reprisals. Thousands "who worked alongside U.S. troops have waited years for visas to come to the United States," the New York Times reported August 16, but "the speedy withdrawal of forces left most of them behind."

"This is murder by incompetence," one U.S. Air Force veteran told the Associated Press while he struggled to help an Afghan friend escape.

As Christians, we know that we welcome Christ when we welcome Afghans fleeing persecution. That means demanding the White House help as many vulnerable Afghans as possible to evacuate and resettle here -- especially those who helped the U.S. military or international non-profits as well as women, LGBTQ people, and ethnic and religious minorities.

Sign the petition:

To President Biden and administration officials:

As Christians who welcome immigrants just as we would hope to welcome Jesus Christ, we call on your administration to evacuate and resettle all of our Afghan allies and their loved ones under the Afghan SIV program. Our faith compels us to speak out for the vulnerable and demand that our leaders, including President Biden, act with moral responsibility.

The U.S. must also designate additional groups of vulnerable Afghans to access the Priority 2 (P-2) and increase the capacity for Priority 1 (P-1) referrals for other vulnerable Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities and human rights defenders, under the United States Refugee Admissions Program. We also call on the U.S. to increase resources and scale up capacity for increased P-1 referrals from UNHCR, U.S. Embassies, and NGOs. The U.S. should increase the fiscal year 2022 refugee admissions goal well beyond the previously announced 125,000.

To help accomplish these goals, the U.S. should hold a cordon around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and keep it open. Every military and charter aircraft the U.S. can get should be mobilized to evacuate refugees. The U.S. must also work with third countries to drop their visa requirements on Afghans and demand Afghanistan's neighbors open their borders.

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