We're Republican and Christian. Trump is wrong to order these refugees to leave.

Yahoo

27-04-2025

Just before Easter, many Afghan Christians in the U.S. were told they had one week to leave or face deportation. In fact, many worshippers were aghast upon hearing that Afghan Christian members of their own community have received emails giving them one week to get out. This crisis stems from a decision by President Trump's administration to revoke these Christians' legal status, effectively ordering them back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after Easter.
We are conservative evangelicals and long-time Republicans. We are also the descendants of Chinese & Taiwanese immigrants. As a child my (Rich's) grandmother told me horrific stories of the 'Rape of Nanjing,' which taught me how easily the innocent can be slaughtered when others stay silent. As followers of Christ we see these Afghan Christians as part of our spiritual family. Their plight compels us to speak out, even if it means questioning a president who is so popular amongst us Evangelicals.
This moment has a dark historical parallel. In 1930s Germany, many Christians stayed silent while their Jewish neighbors 'disappeared.' Will we repeat that mistake now? Warren Buffett recounts how a Holocaust survivor shared with him that before making friends with someone, she looks at them and asks herself, 'Would they hide me?' If the Taliban were hunting down our Afghan Christian neighbors, would we hide them?
As Christians, we know what Scripture demands. In the book of Hebrews, we're told to 'remember those who are mistreated as if you were suffering.' Our Afghan brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering. They face torture and death if sent back. Wouldn't sending them away now betray our Biblical values?
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American evangelicals overwhelmingly agree that we should protect refugees. A January 2025 Lifeway Research survey found:
70% believe the U.S. has a moral responsibility to accept refugees fleeing persecution.
74% support a law like the Afghan Adjustment Act to let Afghan evacuees apply for permanent legal status.
Support for protecting refugees remains high even amongst evangelicals who voted for President Trump. Extending compassion to persecuted people isn't a liberal notion – it's a faithful Christian one.
Deporting these believers is not an abstract policy. It will absolutely affect real people right here and right now. Some of these Afghans have American spouses or children. Sending them away will not only endanger them but will also rip apart families and churches. This is not who we are as a country and certainly not who we are as Evangelical Christians.
As conservatives committed to the rule of law, we are deeply concerned. These Afghan Christians have done everything right. They came here legally after fleeing terror. U.S. authorities have thoroughly vetted them. They have filed asylum claims and are following all the rules. They have obeyed our laws and committed no crimes.
In short, they pose no threat. Yet the government is pulling the rug out from under them and threatening to send them back to certain death – all because they loved Jesus and because they helped us Americans over there. This is unconscionable.
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We must not only pray but also act. We ask you today to contact your members of Congress and urge them to:
Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, a bipartisan bill to let these refugees remain in the US until their applications for permanent status can be fully adjudicated and
Insist that the administration reopen the Refugee Resettlement Program that is currently suspended so that persecuted Christians still stuck in limbo abroad can once again find refuge in our great country.
We cannot let them be sent back to danger and certain persecution. In Proverbs it is written, 'Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.' Let's make sure our legislators hear that message.
This is a defining moment. Will we be like those silent churchgoers in the 1930s, or will we be the ones who answer the call to 'hide' and protect the vulnerable? We pray that we choose courage and compassion, refusing to abandon our persecuted family in Christ.
Rich and Lena Eng are conservative Evangelical Christians and longtime Republicans who have taught 'Faith & Politics' courses at their church. They are descendants of Chinese & Taiwanese immigrants who live in New Berlin.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump shouldn't order Afghan Christian refugees to leave US | Opinion