Supporting Afghan Christian Refugees
by Johanna Montague
Restoration Immigration Legal Aid (RILA) in Arlington, VA has helped between 60-100 Afghans since the fall of Kabul. A couple of them are Christians. Most of them are former government or community leaders who came here to seek asylum as they were in danger in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over.
Will you please pray for their Afghan clients?
For our clients to grow and thrive regardless of an environment that is increasingly unwelcome.
For the families of our clients that are still in Afghanistan and the strain of being separated.
For all of our clients (RILA's mission is to provide excellent pro bono legal assistance to the most vulnerable of our immigrant neighbors) you can ask folks to pray for::
Justice for our clients, especially the three families who have their final asylum hearings in the next month.
Safety and security for the families RILA supports, that they would also feel supported under extreme fear and anxiety about what the future holds
RILA's staff: morale and sustainable wisdom and creativity as immigration policy and procedures evolve.
In addition to prayer:
If your congregation feels a Know Your Rights event would be helpful in your community and would be open to hosting such an event virtually or in person, you can request one from RILA here.
Notice who is in your congregation and walk with them. If you have immigrants in your community, ask them what they need. Offer to go to ICE check-ins with them. Bring them dinner. Be a friend to them in a time when many of our immigrant neighbors feel afraid.
Finally, save the date for our prayer service on World Refugee Day, June 20. More details coming!
Johanna Montague is the Partnerships Coordinator for Restoration Immigration Legal Aid.
An urgent need prayer need:
Refugees say they face death if they go home to Taliban rule
Members of Apostles Raleigh, an Anglican church in the Diocese of the Carolinas, are lobbying Congress to stop the deportation of 22 Afghan Christians, including a man known as Nashinas, whose immigration parole was recently terminated by the Department of Homeland Security. Nashinas fled Afghanistan after being tortured by the Taliban for his Christian faith. The recent efforts to tighten immigration policies has put Afghan Christians at risk of being sent back to dangerous conditions. Religious groups and organizations such as World Relief and Global Refuge are advocating for Afghan Christians to remain in the U.S., urging passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act to secure permanent residency for refugees. Franklin Graham and others have intervened, and there are signs the deportation deadlines might be delayed for review. Advocates argue that deporting these Christians breaches moral commitments made to U.S. allies and endangers their lives.