Sent Back To Die

They were kind; they helped translate what Americans could not understand. They were generous; they opened their homes to American troops fighting on their behalf. They were caught by surprise; the American forces left suddenly, leaving them unprotected and worried. They were promised safety; the United States would be their new home. They left everything behind.

Over the course of an incredibly ill-planned and unsuccessful war in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan people risked their lives for Americans who claimed they were there to save them. Many were translators, sitting on the front lines, helping American forces to know what was being said by the Taliban warriors. The danger was real. Even if they survived the battle, and many did not, the Taliban made it quite clear that people who had helped the Americans would be killed.

The Taliban stood behind that promise. As airplanes were filling up with refugees, members of the Taliban were going door to door, killing people who were on a list of known translators and others who had helped the Americans. There was no trial. There was no chance to react. The Taliban walked through the door and killed them all.

The US made a shitty, half-assed effort to bring some of the Afghan refugees here. Some Afghan men sent their families, knowing they’d never see them again. News outlets made a big deal of a soldier rescuing an infant that had been separated from its family. The spin from news agencies was that the US was doing a good thing. Pat on the back. Hooray for us.

At one point, some 14,700 people were eligible for ‘Temporary Protected Status,’ (TPS), a special designation for refugees from a country immersed in war. Some had been promised green cards or a fast track to citizenship, depending on what they had done to help US forces.

As usual, the State Department and the Defense Department weren’t on the same page. Commanders out in the field had promised citizenship to translators and others who helped them. However, when those people were evacuated out of Afghanistan at the last minute, they did not have time to bring papers showing proof of citizenship or their cooperation with US troops. Many only had the clothes on their back, and the State Department wanted more.

There remain some 9,000 Afghans who were promised safety in the US in exchange for having provided the same for members of the US military. Yet, as of Friday, it was made official by the White House that those who were still being protected under TPS were no longer welcome and would be deported. The State Department argued that the countries listed no longer met the qualifications for TPS.

The order also includes people from other war-torn countries such as Cameroon, Hungary, and Venezuela. All were made promises of safety and security. Now, the US wants to renig on its promises. For many, the threat of deportation might as well be an execution order.

Shawn VanDriver, a military veteran and the president of #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that helps Afghans resettle in America, said he firmly rejected the administration’s claims that the conditions in Afghanistan did not meet TPS standards.

“The conditions on the ground haven’t improved—they’ve worsened,” he said. “Afghans who were invited here, who built lives here, are now being told they don’t matter. It’s cruel, it’s chaotic, and it undermines everything America claimed to stand for when we promised not to leave our allies behind.”

 Andrew Sullivan, the executive director of No One Left Behind, said, “Many of these allies completed the requisite substantial and valuable service to U.S. national security, yet are still in processing for an SIV because of documents and connections lost in the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal. This decision throws our allies into harmful uncertainty.”

Put yourself in the place of those refugees. You risked your life in hopes of a better world. Now, you are no longer protected and can be sent back to a country where you will almost certainly be executed. Do you still think the US is a country worthy of your sacrifice?

There remains some hope as lawsuits are filed on behalf of the refugees. Yet, even that situation remains unstable. Last night, a Louisiana judge ruled that imprisoned student Mahmoud Kahlil could be deported, despite having done nothing legally wrong. While attorneys will obviously appeal the case, the judge’s decision affects everyone who lives under the threat of being deported. Lives become uncertain. Fear of a torturous detainment sets in.

These people risked their lives. Is this really how we’re going to thank them?