Mars Adema, 40, said she tried last year to convince Church ministries to take care of immigrants, only to hear that “this is just not our focus”.
“Something has changed completely with Afghanistan,” said Ms. Adema.
In a nation polarized on issues from abortion to the coronavirus pandemic, Afghan refugees have held a special place for many Americans, especially those who worked for U.S. forces and NGOs, or otherwise supported U.S. efforts, Afghanistan to be liberated from the Taliban.
The moment contrasts with the last four years when the country, under the leadership of a president who restricted immigration and banned travel from several Muslim-majority countries, was divided on whether or not to welcome people in search of a safe haven should avoid. And with much of the electorate still deeply divided over immigration, the permanence of the current welcome mat remains unknown.
Polls show Republicans are even more reluctant than Democrats to accept Afghans, and some conservative politicians have warned that the rush to make so many resettlements will result in extremists slipping through the screening process. Influential commentators like Fox News host Tucker Carlson said the refugees diluted American culture and harmed the Republican Party. Last week he warned that the Biden government is “flooding swinging districts with refugees who they know will become loyal Democratic voters”.
But a wide range of veterans and lawmakers have long viewed Afghans who helped the United States as military partners and have long pushed for the red tape that kept them in the country under constant threat from the Taliban. Pictures of babies being lifted over barbed wire fences to meet American soldiers, people clinging to departing planes, and a deadly terrorist attack on thousands gathered at the airport to desperately leave have moved thousands of Americans to theirs Efforts to join.
“For a nation so divided, it feels good when people join a good cause,” said Mike Sullivan, director of the Welcome to America project in Phoenix. “This country has probably not seen anything like it since Vietnam”
Federal officials said this week that in the coming month at least 50,000 Afghans who have helped the US government or may be targeted by the Taliban are expected to be admitted to the United States, although the full number and timeframe of their arrival remains in place Job. More than 31,000 Afghans have already arrived, around half of which, according to internal government documents, are still being dispatched to military bases.
