MATSUI AND MCCLELLAN URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RESUME AFGHAN ALLY RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM
“To turn our backs on these allies in their time of need after they so bravely supported us betrays American values, violates our promise to protect those who assisted the U.S. mission, and belittles our reputation on the international stage.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswomen Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Jennifer L. McClellan (VA-04) led 42 lawmakers in a letter to President Trump, expressing serious concern over the significant and harmful impact of recent executive orders to halt refugee processing and admissions and up-end the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for our Afghan allies.
Prior to the suspension of resettlement efforts, over 1,600 Afghan allies were cleared and booked on flights for travel to the United States. Approximately 10,000 more Afghan allies were approved for entry. With another 40,000 allies navigating the approval process.
“These individuals and their families sacrificed a great deal to support the American government in Afghanistan and to fight for the dream of a free and democratic Afghan Republic,” wrote the lawmakers. “To turn our backs on these allies in their time of need after they so bravely supported us betrays American values, violates our promise to protect those who assisted the U.S. mission, and belittles our reputation on the international stage.”
Following the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban in 2021, Afghan partners who worked with the United States – and their families – found themselves exposed and vulnerable to violent retaliation. In response, the U.S. government undertook the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in American history and supported their resettlement and integration into the U.S.
Since 2011, Sacramento has welcomed over 12,000 Afghan refugees, including 1,700 of those evacuated in 2021. Many of these individuals still have family in Afghanistan who are now forced to live under Taliban oppression as a direct consequence of the Trump Administration’s executive orders.
“Failing to uphold our promises to allies who are at risk overseas due to their support for the U.S. mission is no way to conduct foreign policy,” the lawmakers continued. “Nor is stranding tens of thousands of refugees who have completed lengthy security screenings and have communities, families, and sponsors waiting for them in the U.S. The sudden suspension threatens global security and countless lives.”
The letter highlights individual stories of Afghan allies, detailing the precarious position they’ve faced since the fall of Kabul and the cruelty of these executive orders.
Read the full letter to President Trump here.
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