GOP governors signal willingness to welcome Afghan refugees
“My people have been hiding in a compound for seven days in one room.” Mohammad Ullah Bismil Texas resident with family in Afghanistan
Every few hours, Mohammad Ullah Bismil uses WhatsApp to reach family members in Afghanistan trying to escape since the Taliban swiftly seized control of the country.
The 35-year-old Uber driver worries for their safety, given that he worked alongside U.S. troops for a decade as a combat translator before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, two years ago.
Afghans who worked as contractors, interpreters or other partners with the United States will be looked at as spies or infidels, he said, and will be targeted for reprisal along with their families.
“My people have been hiding in a compound for seven days in one room,” Bismil told USA TODAY. “The Taliban are saying, ‘We’re not going to kill those who do work for the U.S. forces,’ but they are lying. They are lying.”
As the situation around evacuation at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport grows more tense, Afghans look to American leaders in hopes of finding refuge in the U.S.
“They should say yes, because those people have worked side-by-side with American forces,” Bismil said. “The interpreter and the soldier, they were at the front together.”
Governors – including Republicans from Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Vermont – have signaled a willingness to accept Afghans seeking asylum.
Such eagerness is a reversal from how many Republican governors reacted six years ago when a refugee crisis exploded in Syria. At least two dozen governors – including one Democrat – took steps to prevent Syrians fleeing persecution from settling in their states.
Christian conservatives lobby President Joe Biden and GOP officials on behalf of Afghan refugees.
“There certainly are evangelical Christians who were happy with those decisions in 2015. But there were many others who were very upset by it,” said Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization. “And I think the ones who are reading the Bible carefully have a strong basis to want to welcome persecuted people. I think the biblical record on this is actually pretty clear.”
Soerens is among those spearheading Evangelical Immigration Table, a group of at least nine Christian organizations lobbying on behalf of Afghan refugees. The group sent a letter Aug. 17 to the White House urging a faster resettlement process for Afghans.
“There’s a particular national obligation to people who are at risk of persecution in Afghanistan because of their service to the U.S. government – the military in many cases,” Soerens said.
In a tweet Aug. 18, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said his residents have a particular understanding of the fallout in Afghanistan. The Beehive State, he said, “was settled by refugees fleeing religious persecution.”
“We understand the pain caused by forced migration and appreciate the contributions of refugees in our communities,” Cox said.
Chris Palusky, president and CEO of Bethany Christian Services, who signed the letter to the Biden administration, said faith-based groups are urging state leaders to do more.
“It’s important that all governors, faith leaders and people say, ‘We want refugees, and we love refugees,’ ” he said. “And if they don’t know, they should become informed about the plight of refugees and who they are.”
Christian conservatives, he said, are eager to have a dialogue with the Biden administration and governors from both parties about rebuilding the refugee resettlement program. The letter to Biden said he signed an executive order to raise the refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 for the coming fiscal year.
“I hope this is a start of a more compassionate conservatism across the United States in general,” Palusky said.
Evangelical leaders in the ear of Republicans have taken them to task for policies they argued make it more difficult to help Afghans who reach America.
Christian conservatives have expressed concern over an executive order by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that targets the transportation of migrants in the state.
Under the rule, which has been momentarily barred by a federal judge, Texas troopers can order civilian vehicles to turn back or be seized if authorities suspect the driver is transporting migrants infected with COVID-19.
“We’ve written directly to the governor, as well as to others, to say as Christians, we can’t support what you’re doing,” said Galen Carey, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Soerens said Texas churches and their volunteers, motivated by the biblical story of the Good Samaritan, often help with transportation of migrants and other refugees. The governor’s order could make it impossible for evangelical groups hoping to provide help for Afghans who come to the state, he said.
“We feel an obligation to do that,” Soerens said. “And we’re very troubled whenever there’s an attempt by any government, regardless of the party, to restrict religious liberty.”
A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Tuesday found 79% of Republicans support giving special visas to the Afghans who assisted the U.S. military, including their immediate families.
The more traditional Republican outlook embraces Afghan refugees as allies, whereas nativist appeals argue getting American civilians and military personnel evacuated should take precedence.
“There’ll be a division,” Republican political consultant John Feehery told USA TODAY. “When it comes to the compassionate conservative ideal, governors like Larry Hogan in Maryland and Charlie Baker in Massachusetts, they’re gonna see this as a way to kind of stick it in the eye of some of the Trump people.”
Another part of the political calculation among right-leaning governors is that the Taliban takeover has been bad news for Biden, who saw his approval rating dip below 50% for the first time.
When Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp embraced Afghans in a statement Aug. 17, he said Biden had “broken his word” to the world, but Kemp promised that the people of his state would not turn their back on U.S. allies. “It is vitally important to keep those who partnered with American armed forces over the last 20 years safe from harm,” said Kemp, who seeks reelection next year.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., warned that the Peach State shouldn’t accept refugees while Americans are “stranded” in Afghanistan.
Feehery said the governors in favor of Afghans coming to the U.S. are trying to figure out how best to navigate the Republican camps.
“I don’t think it’s about the former president and taking his cues,” he said. “I do think it’s about the Trump supporters and what they think.”
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he is pleased that some Republican governors are helping create a consensus about accepting Afghan refugees.
The GOP, however, is inconsistent on immigrants seeking asylum, he said.
“It’s selective compassion,” Mitchell said. “There are people who are trying to come across our southern border right now to apply for asylum, but they are rejected by some of these same politicians because, let’s be honest, there’s no sympathy for them.”
Bismil plans to apply for U.S. citizenship once his visa expires.
He receives a phone call every morning from a close relative asking if the family should go to the airport.
Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group would block Afghans from the airport. America should change its policy, he said, and “don’t encourage Afghans to leave.”
Bismil pleads with his family to stay until he can find help.
“If they go to the airport, these people are going to kill them,” he said. “I say, ‘Just stay home.’ I’ll figure out something. I’ll find something to bring my family here and take them out of this war.”
The International Rescue Committee reported that more than 300,000 Afghan civilians have been linked to the American mission over the past two decades. Of those, thousands are stuck in a backlog seeking special immigrant visas to escape the Taliban.
Bismil will continue to call retired military service members he worked with and elected officials for help.
“I will never ever go back, they’re killing innocent people,” Bismil said. “I want to stay in America, I want to die in America, and I want to work for America. That is better in my mind.”