Target: Chuck Grassley, U.S. Senator
Goal: Support pathway to permanent residency for Afghan refugees.
Girls can no longer attend school. Women are forbidden from even taking a walk in the park. Thousands live in fear of retribution and even execution, and tens of thousands more have fled the only home they have ever known. This is the sad state of Afghanistan today, more than a year removed from a hasty withdrawal of support that left the nation vulnerable to the Taliban. Many refugees now in America (including key allies of veterans who served in the conflict) are living in their own limbo, afraid at any moment they could be sent back to the oppression, the uncertainty, and the danger. They have appealed to the U.S. Congress for help, but so far have gotten the cold shoulder in return.
Most of the Afghan refugees who currently reside in America are protected by the humanitarian parole process, which grants special immigrant status in cases deemed urgent and humanitarian in nature. Because of this process, the refugees do not have to complete the years-long steps they would normally have to take and therefore benefit from immediate safety. The Afghan Adjustment Act would solidify these protections and provide the refugees a pathway to permanent residency and security. To address the concerns of critics who are worried about national security threats being admitted, the vetting process would also be strengthened. The measure has earned bipartisan support and widespread backing from veterans’ groups and former military officials directly involved in the conflict.
Despite its importance and support, some Congressional leaders are still holding back passage. Sign the petition below to urge one of these leaders to lend a helping hand to human beings whose futures and lives hang in the balance.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Grassley,
You acknowledge that many of the Afghan refugees now staying in America were vital to this nation’s veterans when help was needed the most. Now they are pleading for United States’ leadership not to turn them away when they are in need. The Afghan Adjustment Act is not just a push by progressives or a political chip. It is a very real effort to save these lives and so many more, and the men and who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Afghan allies support it. If you ignore their continued calls for the passage of this bill, you will be turning your back on them as well.
The security concerns are being addressed, so do not use this rhetoric as an excuse for inaction or for political pandering. Whether it arises in the spending bill or as a separate measure, please support a pathway to permanent residency for these refugees. Honor this nation’s humanitarian spirit.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Jerry Griffis
If this were you how would you hope to be treated? These Afghans did a service to America putting their lives and the lives of their families at risk. Now the the use of these people is no longer needed you throw them away like trash? Should Americans find itself in the same position again people will not trust the word of America. If these folks are killed then America looses face with the entire world.