Amid the fallout from the Taliban taking control of Kabul, conservatives have quickly moved to demonize the Afghan refugees fleeing their country in fear. But at least one Republican governor says his state is willing and ready to help them.
“We are eager to continue that practice and assist with the resettlement of individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan, especially those who valiantly helped U.S. troops, diplomats, journalists, and other civilians over the past 20 years,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said in a Tuesday letter to President Biden. Cox’s support comes amid an avalanche of right-wing pushback against the notion that refugees from the country be resettled in the U.S.
On Sunday afternoon, those seeking the last-ditch opportunity to escape Afghanistan swamped the tarmac at the airport in the capital city of Kabul, even going as far as to toss their bodies onto the side of a C-17 U.S. military plane to escape, only to be flung off the side during takeoff. While the likes of President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., both reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Afghan refugees, to the tune of $500 million in the case of the Biden administration, right-wingers immediately attacked the refugees.
Foreign policy matters: After 20 years of U.S. effort, the loss of 2,448 soldiers and a trillion spent, Afghanistan was left with a corrupt government and an ineffectual military. At this moment, we must do everything we can to evacuate our allies and open our doors to refugees.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 15, 2021
Fox News host Tucker Carlson declared on Monday night, in a bad faith attempt to scare his audience, that the United States will accept “millions” of Afghan refugees who would start living “in your neighborhood.”
The fearmongering Fox News host added: “It caused revolts, but officials kept doing it, they kept pushing radical gender politics anyway, because they could, because they were in charge of these Stone Age people they were going to educate”
Tucker Carlson, already going there: "If history is any guide, and it’s always a guide, we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country, and over the next decade, that number may swell to the millions. So first we invade, and then we are invaded." pic.twitter.com/4ES5fz4reb
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 17, 2021
Fellow Fox News host Laura Ingraham echoed Carlson’s remarks. “Is it really our responsibility to welcome thousands of potentially un-vetted refugees from Afghanistan?” she rhetorically asked. “All day we heard phrases like ‘we promised them.’ Well, who did? Did you?”
Ingraham: Is it really our responsibility to welcome thousands of refugees from Afghanistan? pic.twitter.com/Sopvx4RJ0H
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 17, 2021
Pro-Trump pundit Charlie Kirk took a similar approach, proudly stating that President Joe Biden “wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently” stemming from the Taliban takeover. “Were playing checkers and their playing chess,” the Carlson-like clone riffed.
Charlie Kirk says Biden intentionally let Afghanistan fall because he "wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently" pic.twitter.com/JaLXtuEvWb
— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) August 16, 2021
Steve Cortes, a Newsmax host and former Trump 2020 adviser, incorrectly identified Afghans as “hordes of Afghanis” before indiscriminately blasting people as “a scourge.”
Raise your hand if you want this plane landing in your town?
America paid unimaginable costs in Afghanistan because of uniparty globalists who dominated the Bush & Obama administrations.
No more… pic.twitter.com/OBIUapUmMK
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) August 18, 2021
800 people evacuated and only 165 of them were Americans?
Not one Afghan should be coming to America. They should stay in region. We have bases in Iraq and supposed allies in the Gulf — time for UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Israel to all step up. https://t.co/BWT7qrxwn1
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) August 17, 2021
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon insisted that Afghan migrants “go there,” referring to other countries and not the United States.
Other blue-check mark conservative voices sounded off, including Pizzagate conspiracy theorist turned Human Events editor Jack Posobiec, who tweeted, “The US has allies and bases throughout the Middle East. There is no need to airlift tens of thousands of unvetted refugees all the way to the homeland. It would be a national security disaster waiting to happen.”
“Wait until they start demanding that we now open our borders to Afghan refugees,” right-wing firebrand Candace Owens stated.
One America News host Natalie Harp joined the chorus, asking on her Monday program: “What’s the vetting process? How do we know who these people are? How do we have any guarantee that we’re not simply paying for a first-class ticket to resettle certain radical Islamic terrorists right next door? No, seriously, how do we know?”
Additionally, in a Monday statement, Trump, who remains the ringleader of TrumpWorld and those who regurgitate to his every last word, appeared to signal support for the idea that the United States should be accepting Afghan refugees.
“Can anyone even imagine taking out our Military before evacuating civilians and others who have been good to our Country and who should be allowed to seek refuge? In addition, these people left topflight and highly sophisticated equipment. Who can believe such incompetence?” Trump stated. “Under my Administration, all civilians and equipment would have been removed.”
As for the Biden administration, they have not only pledged an additional $500 million in finical backing to aid in the relocation of Afghan refugees, but further, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday that they would seek to relocate 30,000 Afghan migrants through the use of the Special Immigrant Visa program.
