Make Afghan refugees feel welcome in Conn.
It’s to everyone’s credit that a plan to resettle some 300 Afghan refugees in Connecticut has not to date caused a partisan uproar. Even for plans that seem sensible and moral, that outcome is not a given. In Montana, for instance, a Republican lawmaker came out strongly against a plan to resettle about 75 Afghan civilians. Other leaders around the country have had similar reactions, citing worries about vetting, security threats or other concerns. It’s turned what should be a celebratory moment, when America lives up its ideals, into just another occasion for partisan bickering.
Connecticut has not gone down that road. We need to ensure that we don’t.
On Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont hosted an event welcoming 310 Afghans to the state, a result of a program called “Operation Allies Welcome.” The arrivals include translators, drivers and others who helped the U.S. military during the 20-year war that officially ended in October and began in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Those who have arrived in this country include people who fear reprisals by the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan last month upon the U.S. military’s departure.
“We owe these Afghan allies the safety and escape they need from murder and torture they face, and their families face, in Afghanistan,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal said at a recent appearance in New Haven. “They sided with us. They went into combat with our troops. They protected them and our diplomats. They now have targets on their backs.”
This could be just the beginning. There are more people with American ties who remain in Afghanistan who could find their way to this country in the coming months and years. If that happens, Connecticut needs to ensure its generosity is not short-lived. The welcome mat needs to stay out.
Welcoming people into Connecticut is in our selfinterest. The state has had among the slowest population growth in America in recent years, due to a variety of factors including cost of living. Immigration can help turn those trends around, but it only works if people have the resources to make a life here. Simply saying we welcome all comers without providing people the means to survive is not going to help anyone.
Lamont on Friday announced the formation of a public-private task force to resettle the current group of Afghan refugees headed to the state and help them positively contribute to Connecticut, and its work deserves support. Several agencies in Connecticut are deeply immersed in the process of resettling refugees, and though more people are paying attention now that the issue is in the news, the need for help has not diminished. People looking for ways to help will find ample opportunities.
“We owe these Afghan allies the safety and escape they need from murder and torture they face, and their families face, in Afghanistan.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Everyone coming here has been vetted and vaccinated. There’s a long, arduous process to get through before anyone arrives in Connecticut from Afghanistan. Any worries on that front should be set aside.
Though it’s clearly in Connecticut’s self-interest to open its doors to refugees, it’s just as clear that it’s the right thing to do. The end of the war in Afghanistan does not end our commitment to the people who helped us for 20 years. It’s time for us to do our part.