Christian values are strongly defended by President Trump. The majority of evangelicals have backed him for three consecutive elections, in part because of his fearless dedication to shielding Christians from persecution. His administration’s recent moves pressuring Afghan Christians to self-deport “immediately” or face criminal prosecution, penalties, and deportation—to a Taliban dictatorship likely to murder them for their faith in Jesus—concern me, while I am glad for his strong stance for religious liberty.
A number of Afghan Christians who were lawfully admitted to the US and have been lawfully residing and working in various US areas have just received letters bearing the following stern message: “It is time for you to leave the United States.” The DHS “is terminating your parole,” the legal process that permits these folks to remain securely in the US, the message states emphatically. “Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you… depart the United States immediately,” it says.
It appears that hundreds of thousands of other lawfully admitted U.S. citizens received similar letters in the last few years. Afghan Christians, for whom expulsion would very certainly entail martyrdom, are the most disturbing instance. Among the 10 most perilous nations for Christians, according to persecuted church watchdog Open Doors, is Afghanistan. Since the disastrous Biden administration’s pullout in 2021, which put the Taliban in control, Christians have seen their circumstances worsen.
I believe that senior officials inside the Department of Homeland Security circulated this letter so extensively without fully assessing its implications, and it is safe to assume that President Trump had nothing to do with its drafting. My sincere hope is that President Trump would grant the request of Afghan Christians to remain lawfully in the US, even if the administration is receiving pressure from conservative evangelical leaders such as Franklin Graham. At the very least until asylum claims can be fairly adjudicated, or until the Afghan Adjustment Act is passed by Congress. Senator Lindsey Graham co-led this bill in the last Congress, and it would grant permanent legal status to Afghans on parole who pass rigorous screening procedures.
Evangelical Christians are grateful for President Trump’s rapid progress in securing our borders, and he is completely correct to prioritize this issue. Similarly, the deportation of immigrants found guilty of serious crimes is something that nearly all evangelical Christians are happy about.
Pastors and other evangelicals share President Trump’s support for legal immigration of people who come “with love for the country.” We should not remove Afghans and others who are denied religious freedom overseas because of their strong affection for our nation. Similarly, evangelical Christians believe that the United States should welcome legitimately accepted refugees after thorough screening. This includes Christians from Iran and Afghanistan, who were persecuted or even martyred in their home countries. Open Doors USA reports that Christians endure the worst persecution in fifty nations worldwide. Roughly 30,000 Christians were evacuated from these countries per year.
People who are legitimately admitted to the United States after escaping persecution for reasons like religion, race, or political opinion are known as refugees, and my denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has often reiterated the biblical mandate to welcome them. Approximately two-thirds of evangelical Christians who voted for President Trump last November, as well as seven out of ten evangelical Christians overall, feel that the United States has a moral obligation to accept refugees, according to Lifeway Research, the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. Nearly 20,000 Christians, including several notable evangelical leaders, have signed a statement encouraging President Trump to restore refugee resettlement, with a special concern for those persecuted for their faith in Jesus. This comes as President Trump ends a 90-day review of the program.
Not only do Christians care for the safety of their fellow Christians, but we also worry about the safety of non-Christians who are persecuted because we believe that all individuals are created in God’s image. Nearly four out of five people who are at risk of deportation are Christians, and it turns out that the majority of refugees who have been relocated in the past several years have also been Christians.
Legal immigration is important to President Trump, and I know he stands up for Christians who are persecuted. I pray that he would hear the evangelical voters’ cries for help, ignore the demands of his own staff who are too eager to defend Christians, and stand up for the suffering Afghans and those who follow Jesus.
