One of the leading refugee resettlement agencies in the United States is calling on the Biden administration to quickly evacuate Afghan allies ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in a letter urged President Joe Biden to “pursue the emergency evacuation” of thousands of allies and family members to an American territory “well before” the September 2021 withdrawal date announced by the administration. 

“The window is quickly closing to protect Afghan allies who have risked everything on behalf of America’s mission, including the safety of their own families,” said LIRS president Krish O’Mara Vignarajah. “To truly honor those who have undoubtedly saved American lives, we must keep our word by saving theirs. Bold leadership is required to meet this moment, and that must include careful consideration of emergency evacuation options.”

LIRS is among the legislators, veterans groups, and advocates that in recent weeks have been calling on the Biden administration to take action now to move Afghans who aided U.S. military out of the region, citing immediate danger to their lives. “Lawmakers warn Pentagon of impending bloodbath for Afghan partners,” said one NBC News headline earlier this month. While thousands are eligible for safety under the Special Immigrant Visa program, a backlog delay has put them in a life-or-death situation. Advocates are now urging the president to evacuate these allies to a safe third territory as soon as possible.

“Such an evacuation is well within historical precedent,” O’Mara Vignarajah continued in the statement. “In 1975, the Ford administration evacuated approximately 130,000 Vietnamese refugees to the U.S. via Guam for initial screening before departure to reception centers in the U.S. In 1996, Operation Pacific Haven similarly airlifted 6,600 Iraqi Kurds to the U.S. island territory. Finally, in 1999, the U.S. evacuated 20,000 Kosovar Albanians to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where their eligibility for refugee status was determined.”

In a positive sign for Afghan allies and their families, Bloomberg reported last week that the Biden administration has been weighing this option. In their recent letter to the administration, over a dozen veteran groups called it a “big job,” but wrote that they believed their “experience tells us that the Department of Defense is up to this task.” 

“As we draw an end to America’s longest war, we must remember that our departure from Afghanistan will put our allies there at grave risk,” the veterans said. “Providing an exit for these Afghans must be as high a priority as protecting and safely redeploying American troops and equipment. We owe these Afghans a debt of honor; as our armed forces withdraw from Afghanistan, we must honor that debt.”

LIRS itself has already helped the U.S. resettle more than 11,000 Afghans and Iraqis who received a special visa. Roughly 17,000 people who aided U.S. military have applied. LIRS said an estimated 53,000 family members must also be protected. In addition to the urgent evacuation of allies and their families, the refugee agency also called for the appointment of a “respected, high-level figure with interagency experience” to lead the effort. In the case of its federal family reunification task force, the Biden administration appointed respected advocate and Women’s Refugee Commission official Michelle Brané as its executive director.

“Now, the U.S. must fulfill its commitments to our Afghan allies and work urgently to ensure their and their families’ safety,” LIRS continued. “Veterans’ groups, national security experts, and legislators agree that we must honor this commitment. Our allies put their lives on the line to support our troops because they believed in the U.S. mission. We must show Afghans and the rest of the world that the U.S. will follow through on our word.”