President Biden, Waive The Fee!
Since the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, thousands upon thousands of Afghans are at-risk and vulnerable from Taliban repression and retaliation because of their prior work or role in society. Women activists, marginalized members of the Shia, Hazara, and LGBTQI+ community as well as journalists and those who previously worked in some capacity with coalition troops are desperately seeking refuge and safety outside of Afghanistan, fearing for their lives.
Why Should I Care?
We ask that you join our social media, e-mail, and call-in campaign to urge the Biden administration to drop the fee to make this process more accessible to those who are currently hiding in safe houses and trying to stay out of the sights of the Taliban’s crosshairs. After 20 years of failed policies, the least the United States owes is to grant these people safety and human dignity. The first step towards that process is dropping the fee associated with the humanitarian parole application.
What can you do?
Call your representatives:
Find Your Senators and Representatives:
- Congressional Switchboard (just call and provide your zip code):
202-224-3121Manual lookup:
- https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
Call Script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], I am a constituent of [CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE]. I am a voter who cares what happens to Afghans. My midterm vote and support will be decided based on this office’s response to the ongoing crisis. I would encourage [CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE] to live up to [HIS/HER] progressive values by working with Afghan American activists to continue the evacuation of Afghans, to commit to opening the door to refugees, and to support resettlement efforts.
I would like to hear this office make it clear where it stands on these issues. We specifically ask for your office to push this administration to drop the $575 fee for humanitarian parole applications, one of the few ways at-risk and vulnerable Afghans gain entry to the United States in order to seek asylum.
I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me at my email is [YOUR EMAIL] or [PHONE NUMBER]. Thank you.