OPINION:
In Afghanistan, over 130,000 people who supported U.S. efforts in America’s longest war are still waiting for safety in the United States.
These people, part of about 26,000 families employed by the U.S. government or contractors, have undergone extensive vetting averaging 24 months to qualify for a special immigrant visa. As we pass the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. forces, however, it is obviously much longer for many.
These vetted allies still live under the rule of a sanctioned narco-terrorist organization, the Taliban, in a country where human rights are a distant memory and poverty is widespread.
After years of waiting for the U.S. to honor its promises, these families remain in peril while the United States opens its doors to other groups under a far less stringent process. In the last 12 months, less than 30,000 of our allies have made it through the process of legal immigration, while the benefits of following the rules must seem hard to grasp for those still left behind.
In contrast, 160,000 people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti came to the United States in fiscal 2023. Through the use of a mobile application, many of them received temporary protected status and work authorization after a vetting process that took days or at most a few months.
This expedited process contrasts sharply with the yearslong wait that Afghan allies are forced to endure. These migrants, who have no prior ties to the U.S. or a personal investment in American ideals, arrive in the U.S. with relative ease and limited risk.
The policy imbalance is hard to overlook. On one side are people who risked their lives supporting U.S. missions in Afghanistan. They worked alongside American forces, driven by the belief that the U.S. would help secure a brighter future for their children and themselves.
When the Biden-Harris administration left them behind in Afghanistan, they faced violence and oppression while waiting for an immigration system that has seemingly forgotten them. On the other side are people from four nations with no history of supporting U.S. foreign policy or efforts but who are allowed entry into the U.S. much more rapidly and with fewer requirements.
As of June, nearly 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti have arrived in the U.S., many having applied via the CBP One app — a process that has been marred by reports of fraud and inefficiency. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this program is intended to offer a safe and legal pathway to those facing hardship in their countries.
The House Homeland Security Committee, however. recently expressed concern that the program is rife with fraud and lacks sufficient oversight, citing examples of incomplete applications and fabricated information. This starkly contrasts with the vetted Afghan applicants who face scrutiny despite their proven service to U.S. interests.
The policy difference is not only a moral issue; it appears to be a strategic one. Political critics argue that the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on Western Hemisphere migrant populations is less about humanitarianism and more about creating a new voting bloc. The potential impact of these new arrivals, many seen as likely Democratic voters, cannot be ignored in the context of upcoming elections.
By comparison, the Afghan allies who risked their lives for U.S. forces are far less likely to fit the Biden-Harris administration’s political goals. They are not perceived as a future voting bloc, and their plight, though morally compelling, lacks the immediate political impact that the Western Hemisphere arrivals provide. They are also a painful reminder of a dark moment in the Biden-Harris timeline — a glaring example of leadership failure that Kamala Harris seems only too eager to bury in the past.
Whether they run small businesses or lead the most powerful nation in the world, executives are judged by their ability to tackle complex issues and provide fair solutions. The negative consequences of this disparity are being felt in cities across the country, including Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado.
Many migrants, unfamiliar with U.S. systems, need resources and support to succeed, creating challenges for local economies and social services. Meanwhile, the Afghan families, with their ties to American ideals and service, have integrated with relative ease and continue contributing to the American ideal.
As voters evaluate their options for this country’s future leadership, it is worth questioning whether the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to immigration is driven by a desire to right past wrongs or by political expediency. Is the administration prioritizing the creation of a new voting bloc over honoring its commitments to those left behind who risked their lives in support of U.S. missions abroad?
Our Afghan allies have earned their place in the U.S. through sacrifice and loyalty. They have waited long enough. The administration should honor America’s promises and recognize that our obligation to these people outweighs the political gains of fast-tracking migrants from other nations.
President Ronald Reagan once said that America is a “shining city on a hill,” but that light dims when we forget our moral debts. Let us not allow political maneuvering to obscure the clear responsibility we owe to those who stood by our side in Afghanistan.
• William Walters is a retired Army colonel and veteran of multiple combat tours, a former member of the career Senior Executive Service at the State Department and a successful entrepreneur working in the Middle East.
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