JRS/USA Calls for the Protection of Displaced Afghans and Afghan Allies

17 August 2021

Related: Advocacy
Afghans walking in Kabul, Afghanistan

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA calls on the US Government to provide immediate safety and humanitarian protection to Afghan people following the Taliban’s takeover of the Afghan government. As the country faces crisis and conflict, it is our moral and legal obligation to provide safety for individuals, especially those who directly supported US interests.

JRS/USA specifically calls on the US government to:

  • Maintain critical humanitarian assistance to ensure that basic needs of Afghans are being met.
  • Move quickly in processing the more than 18,000 Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications currently under consideration.
  • Continue to expand the refugee resettlement program to provide as many protection opportunities as possible for vulnerable Afghans.

“We have seen the situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorate and know that Afghan people are being forced to make drastic decisions to flee their homes and protect their families,” said Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. “We call on the US Government to provide significant support and move quickly to offer protection to Afghan people.”

As we have throughout the past 40 years, JRS continues its commitment to walk with those forced to flee their homes, and most especially at this moment, those forced to flee from Afghanistan. JRS has and will continue to accompany and provide support to Afghan refugees in regions and countries around the world.

If you have been moved by this tragedy and wish to help, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is accepting donations earmarked for Afghan refugees who will need shelter in countries across the globe. Please memo your donation, for Afghan refugees worldwide.