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Hi,
Right now Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis -- and the solutions must be humanitarian as well. Here's how you can help.
Donald Trump slashed the number of refugee visas approved from Afghanistan and other countries, as part of his wider attacks on people from Muslim countries.1 As a result, it became harder for people to seek refuge in the United States. Rep. Pramila Jayapal and the Congressional Progressive Congress are urging our government to act immediately to help refugees, and we need to amplify their call.2
President Biden was right to follow the will of the American people and bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan, rather than commit to decades more endless war.3
The Taliban didn't just suddenly come back to power out of nowhere -- they had been making steady gains for many years, and already controlled huge swaths of the country well before President Biden brought U.S. troops home.
Some Republicans are demanding President Biden send more U.S. combat forces back to Afghanistan to take on the Taliban. But that's a recipe for more war and more suffering. The priority right now must be to address the humanitarian crisis and save lives.
But thanks to Trump, the refugee visa and resettlement process became slower, and stricter. The number of refugees from Afghanistan had already fallen by 60% within two years of Trump's inauguration.4 President Biden has begun to reverse this trend -- now is the time to do even more to help refugees and reverse Trump’s policies.
The President and Congress need to roll back Trump's anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim policies. We need more visas for refugees, and more support to resettle them and their families safely here in the United States and in allied countries. There's no time to lose. Congress must step up right now and make it easier -- not harder -- for refugees to find asylum.
Sign the petition: Tell the President and Congress to help Afghan refugees now!
Thanks for taking action,
Tihi and the team at Demand Progress
Sources:
1. New York Times, "Refugees Who Assisted the U.S. Military Find the Door to America Slammed Shut," October 18, 2020.
2. Congressional Progressive Caucus statement, August 17, 2021.
3. Chicago Council on Global Affairs, "US Public Supports Withdrawal From Afghanistan," August 9, 2021.
4. NPR, "Trump Administration Has Drastically Dropped Visas For Afghan And Iraqi Interpreters," May 1, 2019.
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