John — the Biden administration recently announced that thousands of Afghan families are headed to Fort Bliss, the same military base detaining migrant children where whistleblowers have detailed shocking neglect, abuse, and decrepit facilities.
It’s a damning indictment of our country’s completely broken immigration system that the best we can offer families in desperate need is military accommodation side by side with scandal-ridden and cruel detention facilities — and there’s a way all of us can help:
We can show President Biden that there are an overwhelming number of people in the U.S. ready to welcome families with open arms, warm meals, and warm beds to ensure Afghan families are welcomed with dignity, compassion, and respect.
This pledge isn’t binding, and even if you’re ultimately not able to join one of the tangible efforts underway, your commitment will show President Biden there is huge public support to welcome families in our communities.
It’s a heartbreakingly egregious example of just how broken our immigration system is that even people who worked and fought side by side with us, who are facing or have fled the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, are now dumped into military bases to wait for processing when some had *already* been waiting years to have their visas processed.
With our government failing to live up to our responsibility and obligation, we can show that our communities are ready to welcome Afghans with dignity.
The U.S. must act courageously to ensure that asylum applications are processed fairly and efficiently, reinvest in case management programs, and treat families and children with the compassion they deserve.
It’s not too late to show that we can welcome people with dignity. Each of us has a role to play.
Thanks for all you do,
Erin Mazursky, Organizing Director
Families Belong Together