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Leave No One Behind—Keep Evacuation Flights Going
Posted on Aug 25 2021
August 25, 2021— The U.S. evacuation effort has flown tens of thousands of Afghans and U.S. citizens to safety over the past few weeks. Thousands remain in danger. The August 31 deadline for ending evacuation is arbitrary and dangerous. Until everyone is evacuated, we must keep the Kabul airport open and planes flying.
Tens of thousands of Afghans worked with the U.S. military, U.S. agencies, and U.S. contractors over the past 20 years. They and their families are at risk under the Taliban. Some of those brave allies have already been killed. Only a small fraction of their number have been able, over the years, to gain the protection of Special Immigrant Visas through a complex and backlogged process. With or without SIVs, their safety is our responsibility.
“Our goal must be to leave no one behind: no refugee left behind, no SIV left behind, no U.S. citizen left behind, no U.S. lawful permanent resident left behind,” said ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer. “We must evacuate allies, human rights defenders, women, LGTBQ+ people, and other at-risk groups.”
The Biden administration must continue the humanitarian evacuation beyond August 31. The job is saving lives, not holding to a self-imposed deadline. With the visa process impossibly slow and backlogged, DHS must use humanitarian parole to save lives. The State Department must help ramp up resettlement efforts for refugees. The United States must make an all-hands-on