Dear President Biden,

After 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan, it is clear the American government has not done enough to build a safe society for civilians before withdrawing.

After the rapid Taliban takeover, America must practice what we preach and welcome civilians fleeing war — especially those most at risk, such as women and girl leaders, religious & ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and those who worked for U.S. forces.

Following years of historically low refugee admissions, it is the responsibility of the U.S. government to make a change. America has always welcomed millions of refugees from countries where our military has intervened — from Eastern Europe, to Vietnam, to Cambodia, to Cuba. 2021 should be no different.

We urge you to implement immediate humanitarian parole to evacuate our allies who are at imminent risk, and increase the annual refugee admissions cap to 125,000, which is in line with previous government policies.