Thank you very much to all who responded so generously with financial support, material donations, opportunities, and ideas in response to our efforts to help our Afghan colleagues evacuate and resettle.
As you likely know from the news, the Trump administration suspended the US refugee program and funding for refugee resettlement. This has stranded tens of thousands of refugees already vetted to enter the US and hundreds of thousands more who were in process.
Shekib’s family, who is fully approved and vetted to come to the US and who we were preparing to welcome, is trapped in Pakistan with thousands of other Afghans with no path forward. In addition to the Trump administration not yet agreeing to create an exception for Afghans, the Pakistan government yesterday announced that all Afghans will be deported to Afghanistan after March 31 if they are not taken in by other countries. This leaves Shekib and other Afghans in hiding in Pakistan, fearing for their lives and sending desperate pleas for help.
Your help is needed to advocate for refugees like Shekib and his family. Shekib has been an outspoken proponent of human rights, women’s rights, and democracy and a thorn in the side of religious extremists in his home province of Kapisa, Afghanistan.
Here are some options for your advocacy:
– Church World Services action-alert to oppose Trump’s indefinite refugee ban
– United in Welcome – Tell Your Elected Officials: We Value Welcoming
– Refugee Council – Quick Reference Guide and Top Four Ways to Take Action
Thank you for your initiative in these terrible times.
On a positive note, the family in Boston who generously offered to share their apartment with Shekib and his family, have offered it to the Afghan couple who arrived on January 13th. I am so thankful to the welcoming committee for all they are doing to help this couple build a new life in Boston.
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