Helping those who helped us

The Biden administration’s disastrous pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan six months ago, which not only led to the fall of Kabul and the reemergence of the Taliban, has also created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Many thousands of Afghans who assisted U.S. troops as they fought terrorism saw their lives suddenly imperiled by the Taliban. None of us will forget the heartbreaking images of terrified and desperate people clinging to the wings of military transport planes.

The United States has now vetted and evacuated 76,000 Afghans to the United States with 2,500 more waiting at transit locations overseas. According to The Heritage Foundation, the refugees go through a significant investigative process. Evangelical Christians, including the Southern Baptist Church organization Send Relief in partnership with World Relief, have worked to equip churches to help settle Afghan families in their communities. Bryant Wright, a former SBC president who heads up Send Relief, reinforced the desire of Christians to help the Afghan refugees, saying, “We need to pray for the Afghan people as many are fleeing with nothing but the clothes they have on. Any remaining Christians will be targeted. The women and girls who are left behind will lose the freedoms they’ve gained over the last 20 years. May the church minister to any refugees our government allows in who have supported American efforts or faced persecution there.”

American Christians often disagree on immigration and refugee issues, but rescuing those who came to our rescue after 9/11 and assisted us in defending against terrorism shouldn’t be political. The United States can’t take an unlimited number of refugees from distressed places around the world, but we should keep our word to those whose safety we guaranteed. Many are Christians who are escaping what is now considered the most inhospitable country for Christianity.

There is, however, more work to be done. Many Americans and Afghans whose lives are in danger in Afghanistan still await rescue. And many of those evacuated after the fall of Kabul and brought to America are here on humanitarian parole, which expires after two years. Many are still stuck on military bases across the country. The Biden administration is considering fast-tracking the settlement process, but ultimately there is work Congress needs to do. Many are advocating for the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would offer U.S. allies evacuated from Afghanistan the same legal footing as traditional refugees and make them eligible to apply for green cards.

There has been significant controversy over the refugee program in recent years. Political pressure has led to a significant reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the country each year. The U.S. government should be wise in weighing the responsibility to protect borders from potential terrorism and other foreign threats and the responsibility to welcome strangers who are truly in danger. Christians will disagree on the exact solutions on immigration and other matters, but clearly, the United States has a special obligation to Afghans fleeing religious persecution and terror, considering the significant risk these brave people took to lend support while we were in their country.

Almost 50 years ago, the United States made a commitment to a population of people left imperiled by an unsuccessful war. In 1974, President Gerald Ford mobilized Americans, including many church groups, to welcome and help assimilate nearly 120,000 Vietnamese refugees. Those refugees have become models of citizenship. Like then, we cannot possibly accept every freedom-loving family who wishes to settle here, but we have a special responsibility to the Afghans whose lives were put in danger by our own policies. And history shows, nearly 50 years later, that our investment in the lives of Vietnamese refugees has enriched our country. We can only assume that welcoming Afghans, many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ, will have a similar effect on our communities.

Thankfully, evangelical churches and organizations are already doing the work, welcoming their new Afghan neighbors into their homes and communities. Hopefully, the Biden administration and Congress will step up to help ensure those bravely fleeing terror find refuge in the land of the free.

Editor’ s note: We have corrected this column to reflect that Afghans in the United States on humanitarian parole will have that status expire after two years.