Latest news with #AfghanChristians
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections
As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule. Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces."If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don't kill them, they'll put them in prison and beat them every single night." The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Exclusive: As Afghan Christians Face Deportation, Faith Leaders Urge Trump Administration To Reconsider Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification. "This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation." Read On The Fox News App Afghans' protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12. Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration's broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system. TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban's takeover in 2021. Among those at risk are members of Pastor Ben's congregation, many of whom he says undertook perilous journeys to reach the U.S. legally. He recounted the story of a group that he claimed traveled from Brazil to Mexico, including a 76-year-old woman and a 7-month-old girl, waiting ten months in a Mexican church sanctuary for approval to cross the border legally via the CBP One app."They didn't have food for weeks, they didn't have water for weeks, but they were willing to wait, face all those difficulties, to come to the United States with legal status," he said. "Now, with the new administration, we heard that those parolees are being revoked. They're not even giving work permits." Christians In Afghanistan Face Routine Torture, Persecution From Family Members: Watchdog Groups Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about the pastor's concerns and received the following response:"In tandem with its failed Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration illegally paroled tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., plus hundreds of thousands of other aliens. Parole, a temporary benefit, is granted case by case for urgent humanitarian reasons or public benefit—it is not a pathway to permanent residence or citizenship. Afghans lacking legal grounds to stay and fearing persecution on protected grounds may apply for asylum and have the courts adjudicate their cases," said White House spokesman Kush Desai to Fox News Digital. Advocacy groups, including Help The Persecuted, have petitioned Noem to recognize Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, and to allow Afghan Christians and minorities who have documented persecution due to religion or belief to have TPS while their asylum claims are properly vetted and processed. The petition stresses the Taliban's active persecution of Christians, including arrests at border crossings, torture in detention and the enforcement of laws that make any practice of Christianity illegal. Pastor Ben urges fellow Christians to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters."They need us today to be their voice," he said. "We have the freedom; they do not. We have all the comfort; they do not. But all they want is the church to be part of it." He also addressed President Trump directly: "Mr. President, I fully support your deportation plan because we do not want criminals to live in the United States, but we have to be aware that among those people that you want to deport, some are not criminals. Some are people that are at the risk of being killed, being imprisoned, losing their wives, losing their kids.""Please, let's not let this happen to them," said Pastor Ben. "Let's keep the American Dream alive." Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this article source: Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections
As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule. Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces."If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don't kill them, they'll put them in prison and beat them every single night." The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification. "This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation." Afghans' protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12. Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration's broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system. TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban's takeover in 2021. Among those at risk are members of Pastor Ben's congregation, many of whom he says undertook perilous journeys to reach the U.S. legally. He recounted the story of a group that he claimed traveled from Brazil to Mexico, including a 76-year-old woman and a 7-month-old girl, waiting ten months in a Mexican church sanctuary for approval to cross the border legally via the CBP One app."They didn't have food for weeks, they didn't have water for weeks, but they were willing to wait, face all those difficulties, to come to the United States with legal status," he said. "Now, with the new administration, we heard that those parolees are being revoked. They're not even giving work permits." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about the pastor's concerns and received the following response:"In tandem with its failed Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration illegally paroled tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., plus hundreds of thousands of other aliens. Parole, a temporary benefit, is granted case by case for urgent humanitarian reasons or public benefit—it is not a pathway to permanent residence or citizenship. Afghans lacking legal grounds to stay and fearing persecution on protected grounds may apply for asylum and have the courts adjudicate their cases," said White House spokesman Kush Desai to Fox News Digital. Advocacy groups, including Help The Persecuted, have petitioned Noem to recognize Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, and to allow Afghan Christians and minorities who have documented persecution due to religion or belief to have TPS while their asylum claims are properly vetted and processed. The petition stresses the Taliban's active persecution of Christians, including arrests at border crossings, torture in detention and the enforcement of laws that make any practice of Christianity illegal. Pastor Ben urges fellow Christians to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters."They need us today to be their voice," he said. "We have the freedom; they do not. We have all the comfort; they do not. But all they want is the church to be part of it." He also addressed President Trump directly: "Mr. President, I fully support your deportation plan because we do not want criminals to live in the United States, but we have to be aware that among those people that you want to deport, some are not criminals. Some are people that are at the risk of being killed, being imprisoned, losing their wives, losing their kids.""Please, let's not let this happen to them," said Pastor Ben. "Let's keep the American Dream alive."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Afghan refugees at risk for deportation with protected status set to end soon
Refugee advocates in metro Atlanta are furious to find out the Trump administration is planning to deport those who fled Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. 'This is not a part of history we're going to be proud of,' said Dr. Hogai Nassery, MD. Nassery has helped more than 300 families resettle through a nonprofit called Afghan American Alliance of Georgia. She estimates more than 2,000 people fled to Georgia after the U.S. withdrew, the vast majority in metro Atlanta. 'They served with our troops, with American troops, and our allies, in Afghanistan in very dangerous situations,' said Nassery. 'So, it's been an honor to help them. We see them as heroes.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The U.S. helped them escape, but the Trump Administration said those whose asylum claims remain unapproved are at risk of deportation. Their Temporary Protected Status is set to expire May 20, 2025. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is urging the Trump Administration to delay sending back refugees from Afghanistan amid persecution by the Taliban. Raffensperger said he 'learned that several Afghan Christian refugees currently residing in the United States were told they had to return to Afghanistan. Many of these Afghan Christians had risked their lives for religious freedom and democratic values in service of American forces in-country, and we should make sure we hear their asylum claims before sending them back to a government that is known to persecute Christians.' Serene Kashlan is an immigration attorney who represented Afghan asylum seekers. 'The Taliban is the current government, and anyone that worked with the former government, which was a U.S. ally, or with the U.S. government in some capacity, or even, like, human rights organizations, anything like that, or people of certain minority groups, or women, they're still going to be targeted if they return,' said Kashlan. She said some have not received asylum protections due to court backlogs or errors. 'Some people won't be able to have a livelihood, and some people will be tortured and killed by their government,' said Kashlan. The Department of Homeland Security argues that the status was designed to be temporary, and the Taliban-ruled country's economy is stabilizing, and security has improved. 'Secretary Noem made the decision to terminate TPS for individuals from Afghanistan because the country's improved security situation and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country,' Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News. 'Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest and the statutory provision that TPS is, in fact, designed to be temporary.' McLaughlin also said that there were multiple Afghan nationals who had been given protected status who 'have been the subject of administrative investigations for fraud, public safety, and national security.' Channel 2 Action News has asked the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the administrative investigations mentioned and is waiting for further details. 'It has not become safe,' said Kashlan. She said this group would return to Afghanistan as traitors for helping the U.S., and Nassery said Taliban leaders are waiting for their return. 'We are betraying them,' said Nassery. TRENDING STORIES: Video of fight involving teacher at DeKalb school being used in investigation Multiple people detained after shots fired inside Cobb County business Young Thug says 'he's too big for jail' as he talks about life after incarceration, new music The Trump Administration paused the processing of Green Card applications to those who were granted asylum or refugee status. The White House warned this was coming in January when it announced plans to realign the refugee admissions program. President Donald Trump's order states: 'The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.' To read U.S. Department of Homeland Security information on Afghan nationals, click here: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We're Republican and Christian. Trump is wrong to order these refugees to leave.
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? Opinion: I wasn't expecting emotional reaction to Pope Francis' death. Yet it was there. 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. Opinion: Changes to Social Security would cost average Wisconsin resident $7,000 a year 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
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Raffensperger urges Trump Administration to delay sending Christian refugees back to Afghanistan
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is urging the Trump Administration to delay sending back refugees from Afghanistan amid persecution by the Taliban. Raffensperger sent a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, asking for them to hear the asylum claims of Afghan Christian refugees living in the United States. The refugees 'face persecution and even execution by the Taliban' for their Christian beliefs, Raffensperger's office said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] After celebrating Easter on Sunday, Raffensperger said he 'learned that several Afghan Christian refugees currently residing in the United States were told they had to return to Afghanistan. Many of these Afghan Christians had risked their lives for religious freedom and democratic values in service of American forces in-country, and we should make sure we hear their asylum claims before sending them back to a government that is known to persecute Christians.' TRENDING STORIES: Manhunt underway for man who tried snatching 12-year-old from Hall County bus stop, deputies say 'Nobody knows what's happening:' DOGE puts Norcross office of water monitors on the chopping block 'In PROP We Trust:' Kennesaw police warn residents of fake $100 bills circulating As a result, Raffensperger is asking President Donald Trump and his administration to 'ensure a full and fair vetting' of asylum claims of Afghan Christians before initiating their removals. He said doing so would align with both Georgia's and the U.S.' 'longstanding commitment to religious liberty and the values enshrined in our Constitution.' Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment on Raffensperger's letter and is waiting for their response. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
