Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security asking the Trump administration to take a second look at asylum claims from Afghan Christian refugees in the U.S., lest they get sent back to Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
“In the wake of celebrating Easter, the most important event in Christianity, I learned that several Afghan Christian refugees currently residing in the United States were told they had to return to Afghanistan,” said Raffensperger. “Many of these Afghan Christians had risked their lives for religious freedom and democratic values in service of American forces in-country, and we should make sure we hear their asylum claims before sending them back to a government that is known to persecute Christians.”
Raffensperger noted Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, citing reports from NGOs and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. If they were sent back, Christians would face persecution and even death.
“America has long stood as a beacon of hope to the oppressed and a defender of religious freedom. I respectfully request that DHS continue in that tradition in how they treat these Afghan Christian families,” Raffensperger continued. “Our nation’s moral leadership is defined not just by the policies we enact, but by the people we choose to protect.”
In a statement to WJCL 22, DHS said Secretary Kristi Noem decided to terminate TPS for Afghan refugees "because the country’s improved security situation and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country. Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest and the statutory provision that TPS is in fact designed to be temporary.
"Additionally, DHS records indicate that there are Afghan nationals who are TPS recipients who have been the subject of administrative investigations for fraud, public safety, and national security," the statement added.
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