Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been left behind in the wake of the United States’ haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now, Afghans who served alongside U.S. troops, as well as women and girls, LGBTQIA+ people, journalists, activists, and aid workers are at especially dire risk of persecution and violence at the hands of the Taliban.

We need your help to urge President Biden to live up to our nation’s promise and bring Afghan allies and their families to safety immediately.

When Khan*, an interpreter targeted by the Taliban for his U.S. affiliation, finally received his visa, he thought it would be the end of the red tape and broken promises. But even with a visa in hand and his lawyer on the phone to advise him, it took three days of dangerous and unsuccessful attempts before Khan, his pregnant wife, and three-year-old son could get inside the Kabul airport, due to the violence and chaos. 

The growing family is now safely in the United States thanks to their persistence and sheer luck. But for tens of thousands of other at-risk Afghans time is running out, and the U.S. can and must do more to get them to safety before it’s too late.

We can’t leave the safety of America’s allies to chance. The United States needs a clear and actionable plan now! Lift your voice to urge President Biden to:

1. Extend the evacuation for as long as it takes to bring at-risk Afghans to safety.
2. Secure passage to the airport and create a humanitarian corridor to ensure that allies and their families can get safely to and inside the airport for evacuation.
3. Expand and speed up evacuation flights.

We cannot leave Afghan allies behind. Take action today!