More than a dozen governors of U.S. states–including no fewer than 10 Republicans–have asked Washington for Afghani refugees to be settled in their states. Those who have publicly made the requests include:
- Henry McMaster (R-SC)
- Larry Hogan (R-MD)
- Charlie Baker (R-MA)
- Spencer Cox (R-UT)
- Brian Kemp (R-GA)
- Asa Hutchinson (R-AR)
- Doug Ducey (R-AZ)
- Kim Reynolds (R-IA)
- Kevin Stitts (R-OK)
- Phil Scott (R-VT)
- Gavin Newsom (D-CA)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- J.B. Pritzker (D-IL)
- Ralph Northam (D-VA)
Their rationales echo a common sanctimonious refrain: the Afghans are “heroes,” they helped protect our “homeland,” we want to help them settle in the “land of the free,” etc, etc.
In the rush to display their sanctimony, the governors overlook the fact that most of the alleged “interpreters” supposedly covered by the SIV fast-track and the special “Priority-2” classification are simply persons who made a buck off the occupation and are now looking for a ticket to every refugee’s favorite destination, the United States.
There are ample reasons why those tickets should be withheld. Over the last two decades, the U.S. has already resettled almost a million refugees and is currently enduring a veritable unimpeded invasion over our southern border. Refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years, each refugee costs taxpayers at least $133,000 during his or her lifetime, and many continue to need taxpayer-funded housing for years after their resettlement.
What’s more, Afghanis represent a Sunni Muslim culture far removed from the culture predominating in all the states the welcoming governors represent. Despite the assurances of our State Department that every refugee will be carefully vetted, admitting large numbers of Afghanis and their families would constitute a significant security risk for our country. The comparative few actual interpreters–as well as any of their countrymen not planning to hire on with the new regime–could and should be settled in nearby Muslim nations. (Suggestion: We understand that their erstwhile president, Ashraf Ghani, has found suitable asylum, along with his 169 million of embezzled U.S. dollars, in the United Arab Emirates.)
America’s governors, who are supposed to represent the citizens of their states, need to wipe away the crocodile tears they shed for the news crew cameras, can the phony sentimentality, and do the job they were hired to do by the citizens who hired them to do it.
For more, see Breitbart News.