Sign the Petition: Provide humanitarian aid and ensure safe, accessible refuge for Afghans
What is unfolding in Afghanistan is heart-wrenching, and you can help ensure the safety and security of the Afghan people.
This weekend the Taliban entered Kabul and quickly took control of the presidential palace. The rapid collapse is further proof that the original invasion and subsequent 20 years of occupation was a mistake. In the wake of this forced takeover, the Afghan people face a humanitarian catastrophe, with women and children at greater risk for violence and forced displacement.
We need you to tell Congress and the Biden administration to ensure humanitarian aid will be delivered to Afghans and to remove the refugee cap for Afghan refugees accepted into the United States.
We have a moral obligation to see through our commitment to ensuring the safety of the Afghan people.
We must demand that Congress and the Biden administration: remove the cap on the amount of refugees the U.S. will accept from Afghanistan, particularly from that of vulnerable Afghan communities. We must also provide a safe and timely pathway for refuge for Afghans who both did and did not work with the U.S. government. Along with that, it is vital that the Department of Homeland Security designates Afghans for Temporary Protected Status to prevent expulsion to Afghanistan. The administration must also expand access and eligibility under the special immigration visas and P1, P2, and P3 refugee programs, while expediting the processing of the refugees from the region. Furthermore, we must guarantee safe travel out of the country through the use of chartered flights, as well as helping keep the Kabul International airport open to commercial flights. Finally, the Biden administration must work in coordination with NGOs and other foreign actors to ensure aid is available and accessible to Afghans without interruption from the Taliban.
The situation unfolding in Afghanistan is dire. Since May nearly 250,000 people (80% of which are women and children) have been forced from their homes. Afghanistan also faces a shortage of food, medicine and other resources, as businesses have stopped operation in response to the takeover. Prior to the U.S. withdrawal, Afghanistan had the second-highest number of people facing emergency food insecurity, and 50% of the population faced humanitarian need. With only 2% of the population vaccinated, the delta variant is only exasperating an already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
The Biden administration and Congress must take an immediate, all hands on deck approach to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Sign the petition and call on Congress and President Biden to provide humanitarian aid and ensure safe, accessible refuge for Afghans
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