Several Asian American civil rights groups this week urged the Biden administration to do more to get thousands of vulnerable Afghans out of the war-torn country.
Some made comparisons to the current takeover by the Taliban to the communist victory in Vietnam and the frantic evacuation of the Vietnamese people.
“As a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, I urge the U.S. to remember its responsibility to maintain open doors for refugees and asylum seekers,” said OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates’ Deputy Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “The Biden administration must ensure that refugee resettlement moves forward without delay.”
OCA called for rapid evacuation of vulnerable Afghans and the designation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status which would allow Afghans to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation.
“The United States is morally obligated to protect our Afghan allies, and these long-overdue actions should have been considered months ago,” said OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates’ National President Linda Ng. “Congress has done its part—now it’s time for the Biden administration to do theirs by using all available tools to expand refugee protections, including by designating Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status.”
The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Atlanta issued a joint statement supporting both Temporary Protected Status and emergency humanitarian parole for Afghans escaping the country.
“Our country has a responsibility to immediately resettle Afghan refugees, many of whom saved the lives of American soldiers and are in great danger of being targeted for persecution,” said Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. “The 1980 Refugee Act allowed my family and our refugee community to find safe haven in the United States. The people of Afghanistan deserve the same refuge during the crisis that befalls their country today.”
After the fall of Saigon, 1.3 million Southeast Asians came to the United States over three decades, marking the largest resettlement of refugees in American history. Advancing Justice-Atlanta thinks America can do even better.
“The United States must act urgently and boldly to help Afghan refugees,” said LaVita Tuff, Policy Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “After our decades long military presence in Afghanistan, we cannot now turn our back on the Afghan community during this humanitarian crisis. We urge this administration to act swiftly and meaningfully to protect Afghan refugees.”
The Japanese American Citizens League says it has long supported the immigration of refugees seeking asylum in the United States.
It called on the Biden administration and Congress to accept as many refugees as possible and to not target these refugees for deportation after they get here.
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