Exclusive: Christian leaders say President Donald Trump has the opportunity to correct Biden-era mistakes by stopping deportation of followers facing torture and death.
With thousands of Christians gathered during Holy Week, faith leaders across the United States urged Trump to stop via deportation of Christians in Afghanistan, who are facing almost certain persecution under the Taliban.
On April 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would end humanitarian parole for Afghan citizens, ordering thousands to leave the United States within days.
Early reports called the change Temporary Protection Status (TPS), but internal DHS notifications confirm that affected Afghans are in fact under humanitarian parole. The misconception was repeated by the Media Outlet and DHS, but was subsequently corrected in official memos of the advocacy group.
The Trump administration ends temporary protection situation for thousands of Afghans amid deportation
The policy change will affect around 9,000 Afghans who live legally in the United States while awaiting a Special Immigration Visa (SIV) or asylum ruling.
Among them, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital, hundreds of Christians, many of whom converted after their withdrawal from Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in 2021, and now face life-threatening dangers under Taliban control.
Taliban forces will control Hamid Karzai International Airport after the completion of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 31, 2021 (Wali Sabaouun/Anadoru Agency via Getty Image)
“We believe that all 9,000 people could face persecution when they return to the Taliban, but we are particularly concerned about the hundreds of Christian groups who believe they will face the immediate threat of torture and death,” the coalition note said.
The document was sent to Trump and copied to Vice President J.D. Vance. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calls for a 90-day suspension of deportation to ensure legal routes and time for protection.
House GOP releases a scathing report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
Their proposals include a “reviewed and qualified exemption list” identifying the most at-risk Christians to help DHS restore humanitarian protections or promote asylum or SIV reviews.
One individual on that list was an Afghanistan Christian who was tortured by the Taliban in 2021 using the pseudonym “Nasinus,” and later resettled in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is currently active in his local church. Despite applying for asylum, he received a formal DHS notification ordering him to leave.
The timing of parole ending during Holy Week has inspired Christian leaders from the United States and around the world.
“This is not just a legal issue. It is a moral issue,” according to the Enduring Alliance of Hope (EHA). “When Christians around the world look back at Christ’s sacrifice, we are called to abandon our fellow believers who are facing real persecution.”
Refugees from Afghanistan walk through Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia on August 31, 2021 (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Eha is a coalition of churches, veterans, nonprofits and volunteers formed in the aftermath of the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, rescued and resettled more than a thousand Christian converts and allies in the US military. It reports that millions of individual contributions and thousands of volunteering time are spent on bringing persecuted individuals safely.
“This is a moment when the administration shows compassion and leadership,” a source close to EHA told Fox News Digital. “We don’t want open boundaries, we’re looking for narrow, temporary solutions to protect lives that are clearly at risk.”
The suicide bombing at the monastery gates of Kabul, which killed 13 service members of the United States on August 26, 2021, remains a critical failure in the US withdrawal. Faith leaders argue that this is the chance for the Trump administration to correct one of the most painful consequences of its Biden-era decisions – abandoning persecuted Christians.
“The withdrawal of Afghanistan was one of the darkest chapters in American foreign policy,” said Mike Mannina, a former Bush White House official who led the rescue alliance. He had never spoken publicly about it before.
“But what followed was one of our best times. Thousands of everyday Americans are stepping up to save lives. We don’t want to see the job come back.”
Afghan woman is holding a baby on a bus after arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia on August 31, 2021 (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said he believes there may be more time to resolve the crisis.
“No, I didn’t think that in the White House,” Graham said. “But I understand from Christy Noem. She said that I think it’s July, Afghans have until July, or the government will work with them to solve this job until July. [it’s] July. Therefore, they have more time to resolve this visa issue. ”
DHS has not publicly checked the extension. Several Afghan Christians have been notified to grant seven days to leave the country.
An independent group, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch, has confirmed that Afghan Christians are specifically targeted under Taliban regulations. Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and punished by death.
President Donald Trump bows his head Wednesday between Easter prayer services and dinner prayers in the blue room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Aldrago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Christians in Afghanistan are now more vulnerable under the Taliban than even Christians were under ISIS,” says the review from persecuted support.
Advocates say deporting these individuals violates both US values and international law, which prohibits banning people from returning to countries where they could face torture or death.
Josh Youssef, founder of Persecuted Patients, said there is a clear opportunity for Trump to keep out the serious mistakes left by the Biden administration’s Chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
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“We know that Christians were beaten, imprisoned and even killed by the Taliban,” Yousef told Fox News Digital. “Now, with some of those same people facing deportation, President Trump can take a female rather than a hammer and actually risk death to protect people because of his faith.
“This is Good Friday,” he added. “It is impossible to bring Christians back to a country where they can face their own crucifixion. We are asking the President to fix this.”
DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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