Welcome everyone in need
In the face of humanitarian crisis, closed borders are an inhumane insult.
Dear friends - as I’ve navigated through this past week, there is so much that can continue to feel overwhelming. It’s okay to take breaks to replenish your energy. In fact, it’s essential. We need to refill ourselves in order to keep working on the transformations our country, economy, democracy, and climate need from us.
Like many of you, I’m sure, seeing the devastation and despair in Afghanistan adds to the sense of helplessness, during a time when much can seem beyond our capacity to take direct action. What can we do to help?
As we read and hear the stories of folk desperately trying to leave that country, we can do this: remember that every refugee has a similar story. Every migrant has a reason for taking on the trek away from home. When we see the faces of people at our southern border, remember they are also desperate to rebuild a life. It is not just the Taliban that prompts flight: drug cartels, gang wars, deep poverty, natural disasters, political corruption, all of these things are happening now and resulting in the arrival of people at our borders who need assistance and support from us. Not rejection and fear.
We must welcome the people of Afghanistan who helped the U.S. We must take in the Afghan people who are made even more vulnerable by our withdrawal.
And we must take in every human who needs shelter and safety.
To help the people coming from Afghanistan, change the way we deal with migrants from everywhere. Create a more humane and open immigration system. Take care of the folk who make it here, and help others who find closed borders that require them to risk their lives at every turn.
In the face of humanitarian crisis, closed borders are an inhumane insult.
Be safe and well, and take care of one another.