NEW YORK — Yesterday, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Peter Meijer (R-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Fred Upton (R-MI), and Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act. The United States has a moral responsibility to give Afghan refugees living in the U.S. an opportunity to become lawful permanent residents according to T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America. The U.S. has seen an influx of Afghan refugees following the U.S. removal of troops from the region and T’ruah supports passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would create certainty around their legal status.
Rabbi Les Bronstein, co-chair of T’ruah, issued the following statement in support of the legislation:
“After the U.S. withdrawal from over two decades of war in Afghanistan nearly a year ago, tens of thousands of U.S.-affiliated and at-risk Afghans and their children have been welcomed into the United States. Yet, without an option for permanent immigration status, our new neighbors are living with deep fear and uncertainty about what will happen when this temporary solution expires.
“That’s why we thank the bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives for introducing the critical Afghan Adjustment Act. By passing this legislation, we can ensure that we keep our promise to the Afghan people by giving those who have arrived here the chance to apply to become lawful permanent residents.”
Sara Litt, co-chair of T’ruah, continued:
“The Torah demands, ‘You must fulfill what has crossed your lips’ (Deuteronomy 23:24). The Talmud understands this phrase as including two commandments: a) to carry out ‘what has crossed your lips’ and b) ‘to fulfill’ your vow without delaying. (Rosh Hashanah 6a, gloss Rashi) Until now, the U.S. had been delaying. Passing the Afghan Adjustment Act introduced will be a critical step toward fulfilling what has crossed our lips.
“T’ruah calls on Congress to swiftly pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. Afghans deserve an opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety – without the fear and limitations of an uncertain immigration status, and without the trauma of attempting to navigate an immigration system that was not adequately prepared for their arrival.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
