In the days following the November 26 shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan asylee, the Trump administration immediately pursued a campaign of collective punishment. The administration has started to implement a sweeping immigration crackdown with massive implications for Afghans, refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants both abroad and here in the U.S.
CWS stands unequivocally with the Afghan allies, refugees, and newcomers who are building new lives in safety in the U.S. – and who are now facing new threats and hateful rhetoric. See our statement condemning both this senseless violence and the hostile response from President Trump and his administration and this factsheet for more information.
The Trump administration has responded with a barrage of extreme policy changes, including:
- Halting all issuance of visas and “immigration-related requests” for Afghan nationals
- Reviewing all green card holders from the 19 countries on the travel ban list
- Halting all affirmative asylum applications
- Issuing statements regarding an intention to “permanently pause migration” from “third world countries” and reviewing approved asylum cases under the Biden administration
President Trump and several senior administration officials have also used this tragedy to demonize immigrants and fan the flames of xenophobia. Please join us in combatting this hateful rhetoric and urging Congress to denounce these new sweeping attacks on our communities.
Sample Email: “My name is [insert name], and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I am deeply alarmed by the Trump administration’s collective punishment of refugees and immigrants after the tragic shooting of two members of the National Guard.
I am saddened by and condemn this horrible violence. I am also saddened to learn that the alleged perpetrator has been identified as an Afghan national who served alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan. Since the attack, there have been sweeping efforts to paint all Afghans, refugees, and other immigrants as responsible for the actions of one individual.
The Trump administration has used the attack as a pretext to ramp up implementation of a barrage of extreme policy changes, including:
- Halting all issuance of visas and “immigration-related requests” for Afghan nationals
- Reviewing all green card holders from the 19 countries on the travel ban list
- Halting all affirmative asylum applications
- Issuing statements regarding an intention to “permanently pause migration” from “third world countries” and reviewing approved asylum cases under the Biden administration
- Reviewing and re-interviewing over 200,000 refugees who arrived under the Biden administration.
Punishing hundreds of thousands of migrants, and using this tragedy to demonize them, is wrong and must be called out. Specifically, I urge you to:
- Vocally oppose these dehumanizing policies and stand with Afghans, refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in [STATE] who are contributing to our communities and facing immense threats.
- Use your oversight powers to investigate how these policies are being implemented, ensure transparency and due process where possible, and support forthcoming legal challenges via amicus briefs or congressional inquiries.
- Support legislation like the NO BAN Act (S. 398/H.R. 924) that would limit the use of the 212(f) authority that undergirds a number of the administration’s anti-immigrant policies.
I urge you to help prevent further dehumanization and violence by condemning this language and the broad attacks on our immigration systems. Thank you.”
AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Share this message with your elected officials on social media. See below for sample posts:
- @[legislator]: Do not let @POTUS abandon and dehumanize Afghan allies, refugees, and asylum seekers. #DefendRefuge
- @[legislator]: Condemn the scapegoating and demonization of immigrants! #RefugeesWelcome #SaveAsylum
- @[legislator]: Our community is made better by immigrants and refugees. #WelcomeWithDignity
Additional Resources:
- CWS factsheet on immigration crackdown after shooting
- Afghan Evac statement
- Evacuate Our Allies statement
- Afghan American Foundation statement
- Vetting factsheet