U.S. failure to bring Afghans who worked with U.S. forces to the U.S. would threaten national security and be a permanent moral stain before the world. A bill passed by the House to increase a visa cap doesn't go far enough.
The U.S. military strongly supports the SIV programs. Advocacy by veterans was crucial to the creation of the programs in 2006. As Secretary of Defense, James Mattis strongly opposed President Trump’s Muslim ban and overall reduction of the cap on refugee admissions due to their national security implications. Mattis wrote a memorandum to the president arguing that the United States owed much of its success and the safety of U.S.
Current plans to assist Afghans who helped the United States war efforts before U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are insufficient. The highest number reported that the Pentagon has plans to evacuate is 100,000, although it is unclear whether the Biden administration will support this. Most of them are reportedly being sent to a third country to await processing to the United States.
If Afghans who supported the U.S. war effort are not evacuated, they may be killed. Many have already been threatened. The United States has a moral obligation to save the lives of those who fought alongside them and enabled their goals over the last 20 years. But the ramifications of keeping our promises to these Afghans go far beyond the lives at stake.
The world will remember the United States’ failure to keep its promises. Locals will not partner with or assist U.S. forces during the next war, hindering their efforts and all but ensuring their failure. The United States will never win hearts and minds without the support of committed locals. U.S. nation-building efforts will be nearly impossible without the engagement of locals. The United States’ diplomatic power after a conflict will be reduced. Farther down the line, U.S.
The Biden administration must act to protect the lives of Afghan interpreters, translators, and others who enabled U.S. war efforts in Afghanistan. To do otherwise would be tragic for the lives of the Afghans who helped us, threaten national security, and be a permanent stain on the United States’ moral image in the world.
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