U.S. governors are offering to take in Afghan refugees. Roy Cooper should do the same

The Biden administration’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan — and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government — has created a humanitarian crisis. Now, as evacuation efforts in the country are underway, a number of governors from both sides of the political aisle have offered to allow Afghan refugees to resettle in their states.

“We are eager to … 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,” Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah said in a heartening letter to the Biden administration.

Gov. Roy Cooper should join their calls in offering the state’s assistance in any resettlement efforts.

Let’s be clear: Such an offer would be symbolic. As Cox pointed out, governors don’t have much of a role in shaping U.S. diplomatic or military policy. The president is the one who decides how many refugees the U.S. will accept. Still, words matter, and such a statement by Cooper would reaffirm an important message: refugees are welcome.

Through no fault of Cooper’s, that message isn’t always clear. As the situation in Afghanistan continues to unfold, prominent conservatives have seized the opportunity to portray refugees and immigrants as “invaders’‘— rhetoric that’s become all too common among those on the right. During a broadcast this week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson warned viewers that the U.S. would be “invaded” by “millions’‘ of Afghan refugees in the coming months, and mocked Republican politicians, such as Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who have pushed to expand asylum for Afghan citizens who assisted the U.S. military during the war. It’s also a chance for Cooper to differentiate himself from former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, who asked the federal government to halt the flow of Syrian refugees into the state back in 2015.

That kind of rhetoric is even more dangerous when left unchecked. Cooper should take every opportunity to publicly and decisively send a North Carolina message. In response to an Editorial Board question, Cooper spokesperson Mary Scott Winstead didn’t directly address whether the governor would make such a statement or offer to resettle additional Afghan refugees in North Carolina.

“Ensuring that Americans and our allies in Afghanistan get out safely has to be the top priority there. For two decades, Afghan men and women have assisted and served with our military and they deserve to be supported right now in return,” the statement said.

Local resettlement agencies are already preparing to welcome an influx of Afghan refugees to the state in weeks to come. The North Carolina State Refugee Office, part of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, will work to assist them, the governor’s office said. So far, about 2,000 applicants to the Afghan special immigrant visa program have been evacuated to the U.S. with their families, but advocates estimate that as many as 50,000 remain in the country, stuck in a dangerous limbo while their visas await processing.

Our withdrawal from Afghanistan should have been an urgent and orderly one. The Biden administration should have done more to ensure our allies and other potential refugees would be taken care of. Instead, the evacuation was rushed, and the aftermath is chaotic. State and local politicians can and should put pressure on the Biden administration to quickly clear the backlog of visas for Afghan refugees, many of whom put themselves at great risk to help the U.S. military. At least some of the troops they helped came from N.C. bases.

Our state has long served as a safe haven for people fleeing violence and oppression. Hundreds of Vietnamese refugees who fought alongside U.S. forces were resettled here after the Vietnam War. North Carolina consistently ranks among the top 10 states resettling refugees, and we are a thriving, diverse state because of it. By renewing the state’s commitment to the refugee community, the governor has the opportunity to send a clear message to those who doubt that’s true — or don’t want it to be.

This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 10:17 AM with the headline "U.S. governors are offering to take in Afghan refugees. Roy Cooper should do the same."