Asian Americans call for U.S. government programs and policies to help Afghan refugees

SCREEN CAPTURE / INDIA TODAY

Desperate Afghanis jostle each other to get on an outward bound airplane

Helicopters flying in and out of the U.S. Embassy and desperate crowds streaming out of the city. The chaos surrounding the U.S. departure from Afghanistan looks all too familiar to the Southeast Asians who fled Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos decades ago when the U.S. hastily pulled out of the Saigon.

“As representatives of the largest refugee community to have ever resettled in the United States, we call on the Biden Administration to uphold its promise of protection for Afghan refugees and their families and children,” said Quyen Dinh, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), in a joint statement with Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Asian American Advocacy Fund.

“Our country has a responsibility to immediately resettle Afghan refugees, many of whom saved the lives of American soldiers and are in great danger of being targeted for persecution," said Dinh. 

"The 1980 Refugee Act allowed my family and our refugee community to find safe haven in the United States. The people of Afghanistan deserve the same refuge during the crisis that befalls their country today.” 

The events of the past week underscore America’s moral and political obligation to the tens of thousands of Afghan allies who served alongside American troops and the millions of other Afghanis who supported the social, political and educational reforms that were installed during the 20 years-long war during the U.S.'s time there, states the press release. 

Nearly 50 years ago, millions of Southeast Asian refugees were displaced from their homes following war, genocide, and U.S. intervention in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Through the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975, the United States immediately resettled more than 130,000 individuals from these countries, while millions of other individuals escaped for their lives. 

Over the next three decades, the U.S. would open its doors to more than 1.3 million Southeast Asians, marking the largest resettlement of refugees in American history. 

"In this current moment, America has an opportunity to learn from the past and do better than it did in 1975 by providing immediate refuge and relief to Afghan refugees,
 the community-based organizations said. 

The Afghan American Foundation has published a list of organizations providing direct, emergency relief to Afghan refugees, which you can find here.

“The United States must act urgently and boldly to help Afghan refugees,” said LaVita Tuff, Policy Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. 

“After our decades long military presence in Afghanistan, we cannot now turn our back on the Afghan community during this humanitarian crisis. We know the immeasurable human cost of failing to meet our political and moral obligations to refugees, and we cannot let history repeat itself. We urge this administration to act swiftly and meaningfully to protect Afghan refugees.” 

In their joint statement, the trio of CBOs urged the Biden Administration to: 

• Increase the refugee resettlement limit and capacity;
• Evacuate all Afghans beyond just Special Immigrant Visa eligible individuals, their families, and U.S. citizens; 
• Designate Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status;  
• Employ emergency humanitarian parole for Afghans escaping, including women, children, religious and ethnic minorities; and
• Keep airports in Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar Sharif open to facilitate travel.