Our founder, Daniel Elkins, went on Charlotte’s WBT with Tony Marino. You can listen to the full interview here:
Afghan National Army Special Operations Command Veteran Lieutenant Wasi served shoulder-to-shoulder with US Special Operations Forces and risked his life serving the United States. Under threat of Taliban reprisal, he was forced to flee for his life and traveled to the United States seeking asylum—suffering extreme personal hardship to do so. Instead of being met with a hero’s welcome for his brave service to our country, Lieutenant Wasi was arrested and now awaits deportation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Lieutenant Wasi must be granted asylum and a pathway to citizenship.
The United States failed our Afghan allies once already when our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan left thousands of Afghan Special Operators for dead. This danger has compounded in the year since the Fall of Kabul, as the Taliban continues to hunt for those that resisted their rise to power. We must not fail our Afghan Special Operator allies again—our leaders in Washington must act to give our brave Afghan allies a path to citizenship.
Lieutenant Wasi is not unique in his struggle as many other Afghan allies have been left in similar legal limbo since the disastrous conclusion of our war in Afghanistan. There would be more Americans buried in Arlington National Cemetery today had it not been for the brave, and loyal service of our Afghan allies like Lieutenant Wasi. SOAA will continue to raise the alarm on this debacle, and work with policymakers in DC to rectify this issue. Our organization will not stop until every Afghan Special Operator already in the United States is granted a pathway toward citizenship through military service.
