Ralph Northam: Virginia is Proud Welcome Our Afghan Allies

Republicans have been quick to criticize the Biden administration's exit from Afghanistan - ignoring, of course,  the fact that Donald Trump negotiated the hasty witdrawal - and bloviated about how the final evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies could have and should have done better.  Now, with the Afghan evacuaees in need of new places to call home, Republicans are some 20% less likely to approve of welcoming Afghan evacuees to America and their home states.  Indeed, two Republican governors - not surprisingly the red states of Wyoming and South Dakota - have refused to accept Afghan evacuees for resettlemt while eleven more governors have sought to evade the issue.  The contrast of these states with Democrat controlled Virginia could not be more stark as embodied by Governor Ralph Northam's op-ed in the Washington Post which lays out why accepting Afghan evacuees is the right and moral thing to do.  Here are op-ed highlights (Note: Northam is a military veteran and physician who served in Desert Storm):

Last month, the United States’ war in Afghanistan ended after 20 years. As a veteran who served during Desert Storm, I know that war is brutal. This war saw the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops and took the lives of countless humanitarian workers, journalists, Afghan civilians and 2,461 service members — including more than 70 Virginians.

In recent weeks, we’ve also learned more about the plight of thousands of Afghans who put themselves in danger by supporting, protecting and collaborating with our American service members for the past two decades.

This war has taken a toll on those wounded and on our Gold Star families who have experienced tremendous grief and loss. In Virginia, we are committed to helping these current service members, veterans and their families get the support and care they need.

As for our Afghan partners, fortunately, thousands — including children and families — have been rescued through the military evacuation.

For many of our Afghan allies coming to the United States, their first stop is Virginia. This means our commonwealth has the honor of being the first to welcome our Afghan allies to our country.

And because we are a nation of immigrants, welcome is the right word.  We owe a special debt to the Afghan people who stepped up to serve the U.S. armed forces as interpreters and translators and in other roles because they wanted a better future for their country. These Afghan allies served alongside our troops — and, often, they gave their lives as well.

As humans, we have a moral obligation to help our fellow people. I believe in treating others as we would wish to be treated. Imagine yourself in the shoes of the Afghan families you’ve seen on the news, walking through Dulles International Airport with, likely, just the clothes on their backs. They fled their homes to save their lives.

[A]s the federal government rightfully focused on getting people out of Afghanistan, Virginia stepped up, and our state and local agencies worked with federal partners to provide support after they arrived in the commonwealth.

Thousands of our Afghan allies and their families are now at three military bases in Virginia: Fort Lee, Fort Pickett and Quantico. I have been fortunate to be able to visit with some of the Afghan people there. Over and over, people shook my hand and expressed their thanks. There was hope, dreams of a better future, and gratitude for the work of our volunteers, service members and staff. As I met with the many children and their parents, I recognize they have so much to offer us but will need Virginia’s help to rebuild their lives here.

Many of the Afghan people arriving here have special immigrant visas (SIV), in recognition of the work they did to support U.S. efforts. In the past, Virginia has been one of the top three states to receive Afghan SIV members resettling in their new home.

We’re ready to help provide health and social services, education, child care, housing and workforce development services these families will need to successfully build new lives. Welcoming new Americans is such an important part of our work to make Virginia a more diverse and inclusive state that we established an Office of New Americans to make sure all immigrants get the support they need.

Our goal is to make sure people feel welcome in their new home here, so they can live, contribute and thrive.

In doing so, we not only begin to fulfill our moral obligations to these extraordinary people but also honor the 20 years of service and sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform.

Those years and those sacrifices were not in vain. In those 20 years, Afghanistan was able to educate girls. Women worked. Children grew up with more freedom and less fear.

In the United States, we are blessed with so much. The United States has long presented itself as a haven, a place of stability and economic prosperity. We promote the ideals upon which this country was founded, a promise of peace, liberty and freedom. To uphold those ideals abroad, we must welcome equitable access to them here at home.

This is why we welcome our Afghan allies and stand ready to help them rebuild their lives in Virginia. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Virginians who want to help — by providing clothing, toys, puzzles, toiletries, things to help refugee families get through these early days. Within Virginia, the best way to help is to call 2-1-1 to be connected with the local resettlement agencies that are directly assisting these families.

Virginia is a diverse, equitable and inclusive place. Our lights are on and our doors are open to welcome new Virginians. I hope every Afghan family who stays here finds Virginia to be a home they are as proud of as I am.

Governor Northam makes me proud to be a Virginian - and to count him as a friend.