Democrats and mass migration activists are pleading with President Joe Biden to open the United States’ borders to a flood of Afghans.
As Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul falls under Taliban control, House Democrats are urging Biden to admit as many Afghans to the U.S. as possible through the Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) program and the refugee resettlement program.
“We have a moral obligation to the Afghan people … we must immediately welcome them to the U.S. [and] provide real support as they rebuild their lives,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote in a statement:
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) said the U.S. has “a duty to save lives” and therefore must begin immediately admitting as many Afghans into the U.S. as possible. Likewise, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said the U.S. must “quickly” evacuate Afghans and bring them to the U.S.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) wrote in a statement that the U.S. ought to “expand asylum” to invite more Afghans to the U.S.
“As a son of refugees, these images from Afghanistan are heartbreaking,” Neguse wrote. “Now is the moment to expand asylum for those who need it most. The U.S. government must honor its word and ensure our Afghan partners are evacuated.”
In addition to pleas from elected Democrats, mass migration activists and refugee contractors are urging Biden to open U.S. borders to Afghans.
An official with the left-wing Progressive Policy Institute suggested that Biden resettle all Afghans in Utah to help turn the state blue. Meanwhile, the Cato Institute’s Alex Nowrasteh said “there is no good [national security] reason to block Afghan refugees.”
Neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol, a member of the failed “Never Trump” movement, said “it would be great” if the U.S. resettled hundreds of thousands of Afghans.
Similarly, a Washington Post opinion journalist wrote that he “sure hope[s]” the Biden administration mimics German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policies that have brought millions of refugees to Germany.
Jesuit Catholic priest Fr. James Martin, an editor at America Magazine, said he prays Biden admits “as many Afghan refugees as possible” to the U.S.
As Breitbart News reported, Biden has no plans to prioritize the evacuation of American citizens out of Afghanistan — which has been compared to the Fall of Saigon in 1975 — over Afghans applying for SIVs and P-2 visas. Defense Department officials have said thousands of Americans are stranded in Afghanistan.
On Monday, Defense Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the administration is planning to bring up to 22,000 Afghans to the U.S. for resettlement across the nation. First, they will be sent to three military bases.
Last month, Biden began resettling hundreds of Afghans and their family members at Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia. The State Department expanded who could be resettled in the U.S. from Afghanistan by waiving prior requirements and fast-tracking their resettlement, with the help of Republican and Democrat lawmakers.
From January to March, the Biden administration issued more than 2,000 SIVs to Afghans for permanent resettlement in the U.S. From October 2020 to July 31, 4,130 Afghans have been resettled on SIVs, alone, while another nearly 500 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. through the refugee resettlement program.
Refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years, according to research, and each refugee costs taxpayers about $133,000 over the course of their lifetime. Within five years, an estimated 16 percent of all refugees admitted will need housing assistance paid for by taxpayers.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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