Political Quotes

“I rise today to oppose the Department of Homeland Security's termination of temporary protected status for Afghans. TPS has provided a lifeline to Afghans who supported U.S. national security efforts and risked their lives to support our missions. We offered them protection here because when allies stand with us, we have a responsibility to stand with them. This principle is a national security imperative. It helps build trust and helps build more allies. That trust gets undermined when we turn our back on those who protected us. Now, with the termination of TPS, we are sending our Army's allies back to the Taliban. These individuals and families were given just weeks to make an impossible choice: face deportation to return to Afghanistan under Taliban control where they will likely be suffering or even die. Many of these families live in our community here in Virginia. Take the story of a former captain in the Afghan National Army. He worked with the U.S. military, and his brother was shot by the Taliban. His entire family now fears for their lives. Abandoning Afghans now not only turns our back on those who risked their lives to protect us but puts our current and future global partnerships on the line. We have an incredible Afghan-American community in Virginia, and we have to stand up for them and stand up for the Afghans who have come here and who served us there. I urge the administration to reverse course.”