Dem Sen. Murphy: I Don’t Know How Many Legal Permanent Residents Want to Leave Afghanistan, But I Think ‘Many of Them Want to Stay’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said that while he doesn’t know how many U.S. legal permanent residents in Afghanistan want to leave, he believes “many” of the thousands who are in Afghanistan “want to stay” in the country and “we’re talking about a much smaller number of green card holders that desire to get to the United States.” And “they had the ability to come to the United States during the entire time that they’ve held that green card. They probably stayed in Afghanistan for a reason.”

Murphy said, “These are citizens of Afghanistan who have temporary legal status in the United States, many of them want to stay in Afghanistan. Because that is actually their primary citizenry. So, while it is true there are potentially thousands of Afghan citizens who have green cards, right, who could legally live in the United States, they likely have not exercised those rights. They’ve been in Afghanistan for a reason, many of them want to stay. I’m not saying that’s every single one of them, but I think we’re talking about a much smaller number of green card holders that desire to get to the United States. And, remember, they had the ability to come to the United States during the entire time that they’ve held that green card. They probably stayed in Afghanistan for a reason.”

Murphy added that he doesn’t know how many U.S. legal permanent residents want to leave Afghanistan, but he’s “certain that the administration knows that number. I don’t know it off the top of my head.”

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