by Brian Lonergan
If Joe Biden has been consistent about anything since assuming the presidency, it has been his pathological habit to get stuck on one colossal mistake by committing another just like it, causing equal or greater damage to the country. So long as it momentarily appeases the never-satisfied extreme Left that sustains him, Biden apparently has no problem throwing more oily rags onto the dumpster fire. He is truly the “America Last” president.
The best, most recent example of this is the Biden White House’s complete immolation of our mission in Afghanistan. After two decades of spending incalculable blood and treasure there, we deserved a more noble exit. Giving the Taliban a supply of free military hardware that would make other countries envious added insult to injury. Jimmy Carter was unceremoniously booted from office for his similar haplessness with the Iran hostage crisis. At least Carter seemed ashamed by his failures. Not so with the current occupant.
Instead of admitting his mistakes and vowing to do better, Biden instinctively defended his actions and promised more of the same. Apparently in an attempt to change the subject away from his embarrassing retreat from Kabul, Biden made it an imperative for the United States to take in as many Afghan nationals as possible, whether or not such a move is harmful to America.
As has become his trademark, Biden’s approach to Afghan refugees has been ham-handed, hyper-partisan, and dangerous. Bringing upwards of 100,000 Afghans to the United States permanently is presented as the only option, as if to oppose this move is to condemn those people to a grisly death elsewhere. The reality is that there are a number of other options, including countries in Asia and the Middle East that would offer them both safety and cultural familiarity.
As with its approach to the flow of people at the southern border, the administration’s preferred action with Afghans is to admit them into our country first, and deal with vetting for diseases and potential terrorist connections later.
Among the White House’s budget priorities to Congress is a request to allow the Homeland Security director to fast-track citizenship to more than 50,000 Afghans, including many who may have connections to extremist and terrorist groups in their native country.
Afghanistan was the haven for Al Qaeda when they planned the 9/11 attacks against America, and is sure to be a terrorist-friendly state again under Taliban rule. Why on Earth would we allow any Afghan nationals into our country before they have been fully vetted for the risk they pose to our national security?
The risks of these decisions are more than just ideological. Given the trauma our nation has been through with COVID-19, responsible leaders would show extreme caution before allowing anyone into the country who may bring more of that plague or any other health risk with them.
Instead, Biden keeps expanding on his Afghanistan debacle. Those arriving from Afghanistan, administration officials said, would be “offered” COVID vaccinations, but “they are not mandatory.” Afghanistan has just over three percent of its citizens vaccinated. Given these facts, why wouldn’t vaccination for these people be mandatory, given what we have been told is the grave threat of having unvaccinated people in our country?
We also learned recently that Fort McCoy Army Base in Wisconsin, one of the primary receiving facilities for thousands of fleeing Afghans, reported a case of the measles last week. While it has not been confirmed that the infected person is an Afghan, the CDC says that Afghanistan has the seventh highest number of measles cases in the world. This comes after news that six Afghans arriving at Dulles airport were found to be infected with COVID.
The administration claims that these Afghans are being vetted for diseases prior to their arrival in the country, but these cases call that claim into question. It is also rubbing salt into the wound to our military, which fought gallantly in Afghanistan only to see a shameful departure for all their work. Now they are being told to serve as the front-line welcome staff for Afghans who may be exposing them to potentially deadly illnesses.
These actions follow a consistent pattern for this administration. Getting more foreign nationals into the country is clearly a primary concern. Of far lesser concern, if it is a concern at all, is the harmful effects such a reckless policy will have on the country and its residents. In our post-9/11 world, it is hard to think of a more dangerous or irresponsible policy.
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Brian Lonergan is an adjunct fellow of the Center for American Greatness and director of communications at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.
