More Americans would have died in Afghanistan, if there hadn’t been Afghans willing to work with America. Thousands of Afghans worked with our military and intelligence agencies. They served as interpreters and translators, which was essential for communication between U.S. forces and the local population, and coordination between U.S. and Afghan troops. This was a high-risk role that made them targets for reprisals by the Taliban, America’s enemy. Many Afghans who helped America were killed by the Taliban. Afghans with deep local knowledge provided critical intelligence and battlefield information to U.S. forces, which was essential for operational success and safety. The information they provided saved hundreds of American lives.
These contributions led to the creation of pathways for legal residency in the U.S., such as the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), to let into America Afghans who faced threats for helping us. Some Afghans helped us based on assurances that America would later take them if it became too dangerous for them to stay in Afghanistan due to their collaboration with America. 85,000 were admitted under Operation Allies Welcome.
But now, visas for Afghans have been placed on hold and the U.S. has stopped processing immigration applications from Afghans, after an Afghan shot two members of the National Guard in Washington, DC. This seems short-sighted. People in foreign countries will be reluctant to help America if they think America will leave them to die if their country falls to the enemy.
The Wall Street Journal notes, “It would be a shame if this single act of betrayal became the excuse for deporting all Afghan refugees…Thousands are building new lives here in peace. Collective punishment won’t make America safer.” As it explains in a recent editorial,
Some will say… the U.S. should never admit such refugees, but the alternative is abandoning allies who assist Americans in war to the retribution of our enemies. The fate of Afghans, men and women, who worked with the U.S. has often been brutal. You can be sure Americans will fight overseas again, and our troops will need allies on the ground to succeed. How many will assist us if they believe there will be no exit for them if the U.S. leaves with the enemy triumphant?
The Trump Administration said it has paused processing immigration applications from Afghanistan, and Mr. Trump said the attack justifies his mass deportation policy. But it would be a shame if this single act of betrayal became the excuse for deporting all Afghan refugees in the U.S.
Tens of thousands are building new lives here in peace and are contributing to their communities. They shouldn’t be blamed for the violent act of one man. Collective punishment of all Afghans in the U.S. won’t make America safer and it might embitter more against the United States.
