Halt To Afghan Admissions Undermines US Values, Says Bush Center
The George W. Bush Presidential Center has criticised the suspension of admissions for Afghan migrants who worked with the United States.
The George W. Bush Presidential Center has criticised the suspension of admissions for Afghan migrants who worked with the United States.
The Center stated that tens of thousands of Afghans put their lives at risk over two decades by cooperating with the US and its international allies.
In a statement, the Bush Center said turning away Afghans who assisted the United States runs counter to American values.
The criticism follows a shooting by Abdulrahman Lakanwal, a former Afghan soldier, involving members of the United States National Guard in Washington. In the wake of the incident, the Trump administration halted the granting of asylum and citizenship to migrants from Afghanistan and several other countries.
Lakanwal, who was relocated to the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome programme along with his wife and five young children, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a National Guard service member.
The Bush Center stressed that the shooter alone is responsible for his actions and that others should not be punished as a result. It added that, like many Americans, Afghans particularly those resettled in the United States are outraged by the shooting.
Following the incident, the United States suspended immigration applications from Afghanistan and several other countries. The Bush Center said the decision means Afghans who assisted the United States but remain stranded in Afghanistan will not be issued travel visas, while the cases of thousands of refugees already in the country will be re-examined.
The statement said officials should focus on what could have been done to prevent the attack, rather than targeting Afghans as a group. It noted that US immigration policies have long required reform and that revisiting vetting procedures could form part of that effort.
The Bush Center said the United States should remember that one of its defining strengths is its history of offering refuge to the poor and the oppressed. It added that America’s values and commitment to freedom are why many Afghan men and women, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, took great risks to stand with the United States and continue to seek a free and just future for their country.
According to the center, many Afghans were forced to flee because of the brutality of the Taliban regime and because of their opposition to it.
Earlier, 61 members of the US Congress also criticised the Trump administration’s actions in a letter to the US secretaries of state and homeland security, accusing the administration of exploiting the attack and collectively punishing Afghan migrants.
The policy shift has heightened fear among Afghan migrants already living in the United States. Immigration lawyers and refugee advocates in the Sacramento area of California, home to one of the country’s largest Afghan communities, have reported an increase in detentions and the cancellation of asylum-related interviews.
The Associated Press reported that since November 26, at least 24 Afghan migrants mostly in Northern California have been detained. In the past week alone, at least nine Afghan men were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they appeared for routine case-status checks.
