Christian groups urge Biden to extend 'arbitrary and harmful' Afghanistan withdrawal deadline
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Biden must ‘honor the humanity of our Afghan neighbors’ by extending Aug. 31 deadline
The head of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a former Obama administration official, is calling on President Biden to “honor the humanity of our Afghan neighbors” by extending the Aug. 31 deadline.
“The United States cannot pat itself on the back for a job half-done,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in a statement Tuesday. “President Biden must continue the evacuation until all U.S. citizens, Afghan allies, and other extremely vulnerable Afghans to safety. We swore a sacred oath to protect them — we cannot break it in the eleventh hour.”
She vowed that “we will not cease advocating until each and every man, woman and child in desperate need of safety can reach it.” Vignarajah pleaded with Biden to “honor the humanity of our Afghan neighbors and leverage every possible option to evacuate them, including an extension of the operation.”
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According to Vignarajah, “The U.S. had the time and resources to evacuate our allies and other at-risk groups, yet it squandered the opportunity to do so in an orderly fashion. While the evacuation was late to begin, ending it before the job is done would be an affront to the veterans who entrusted their lives to our Afghan allies, and to the overwhelming majority of Americans who support welcoming refugees.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
