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Members of the African-American Mayors Association are reportedly putting together a plan to bring in as many refugees from Afghanistan as possible.
“So many Afghan people put their lives at risk to support our country. And so many more will suffer immensely under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. We cannot leave them behind. Doing so would be the ultimate abdication of our humanitarian obligations,” African-American Mayors Association President Sylvester Turner said.
“As such, we will work with governors and the White House to ensure that our nation welcomes as many refugees as possible. It’s our duty.”
A number of government organizations within the U.S. and beyond have worked to evacuate refugees at a rapid pace within the last few days. Between Monday and Tuesday morning, approximately 22,000 Afghans were moved out of the country to different locations. In the following 12 hours, another 12,000 refugees were moved out of the country.
“For decades, thousands of Afghan people put their lives on the line to combat the brutality of the Taliban and support humanitarian work in Afghanistan. Now that the Taliban have taken over, all of these heroes -- from translators to technical staff to transportation specialists -- are at risk of violent retaliation from the Taliban," Turner added.
"And people across the country, particularly women, are in danger of losing fundamental rights. We owe it to these people to offer refuge in the United States."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Government has set an August 31 deadline to remove U.S. troops and at-risk individuals across the nation. At this time, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan as the deadline nears.
"We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31. I am determined to complete our mission," President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
"The sooner we finish the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."
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