Afghans: Faithful & Urgent Responses
September 14, 2021
Top Priorities NOW are to:1) Help Afghan Allies & Vulnerable Populations Get Into & Evacuate Kabul Airport
2) Develop Quick & Safe Processing to Destinations
3) Prepare as Congregations & Communities to Welcome Refugees
Resources to Support Your Help
Over the nearly two decades of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan, at least 1,445 U.S. soldiers and over 70,000 Afghans have sacrificed their lives to fight against Taliban rule. More than 20,000 Afghans have applied and long waited for “SIV”/Special Immigrant Visa status–yet less than 1% of them have yet been safely evacuated from Afghanistan.
In July, President Biden announced a plan called “Operation Allies Refuge” to evacuate Afghans whose visa applications have been stuck for years in processing. The House followed with overwhelming bi-partisan support on July 22 to increase the number of Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to accommodate Afghan arrivals–leading to an initial group of approximately 200 Afghan SIV arrivals into Fort Lee, VA, with additional Dulles Airport arrivals. As of August 12, Church World Service (one of 9 national resettlement organizations in the U.S., and our long term partner as Disciples) reported 4 flights of approximately 1,000 total Afghan SIVs had arrived to Virginia–and were being processed for resettlement into Sacramento, Atlanta, Dallas, Durham, as well as other locations.
Though days are now waning for safe evacuations in the wake of Taliban takeover in Afghanistan–reports are hoping for enough security to make possible safe evacuations of as many as 5,000-9,000 Afghans daily. NOW is the time to ensure our congregations renew our commitment to resettle! Please contact: sstanley@dhm.disciples.org if your congregation is willing to help!
It is estimated that at least an additional 88,000 Afghans and their family members are also living at great risk, due to their affiliations with the U.S. In addition, vulnerable populations of especially Afghan women and children, religious minorities, reporters, LGBTQI+ individuals, and others are gravely in need of protections–as violence has been steadily increasing in recent months. Some estimates as many as 300,000 Afghans have been affiliated over years with the U.S. military presence in the region–and perhaps 15,000 Americans may still remain in the region in need of safe evacuation.
The devastation of recent days continues long grief, disappointment, and “hope for hope,” as spoken to profoundly in THIS Op-Ed, written by an Afghan colleague.
To stay most up to date about Afghan and other refugee and immigration needs that are rapidly evolving, and learn ways you can both ADVOCATE for and ASSIST those in your area, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries (RIM) invites you to urge others to sign up HERE to also receive these RIM WRAP alerts!
Read full story HERE
