EXCLUSIVE: Christian leaders say President Donald Trump has a chance to fix a Biden-era mistake by halting deportations of believers facing torture or death.
As thousands of Christians rallied during Holy Week, faith leaders across the U.S. urged Trump to intervene and stop the deportation of Afghan Christians who face near-certain persecution under the Taliban.
On April 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would terminate humanitarian parole for Afghan nationals, effectively ordering thousands to leave the U.S. within days.
Though early reporting referred to the change as ending temporary protected status (TPS), internal DHS notifications confirm the affected Afghans were in fact under humanitarian parole. The mislabeling was repeated by media outlets and DHS but has since been corrected in official memos from advocacy groups.
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The policy shift affects about 9,000 Afghans living legally in the U.S. while awaiting special immigrant visa (SIV) or asylum adjudication.
Among them, according to documents obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, are hundreds of Christians, many of whom converted after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and now face life-threatening danger under Taliban rule.
Taliban forces take control of Hamid Karzai International Airport after the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 31, 2021. (Wali Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“We believe all 9,000 could face persecution upon return to the Taliban, but we are particularly concerned about a group of hundreds of Christians who we believe will face an immediate threat of torture or death,” a coalition memo states.
The document sent to Trump and copied to Vice President JD Vance; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asks for a 90-day pause on deportations to allow time for legal pathways or protections.
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Their proposal includes a “vetted and qualified exemptions list,” identifying Christians most at risk to help DHS reinstate humanitarian protections or expedite asylum or SIV review.
One individual on that list, using the pseudonym “Nashinas,” is an Afghan Christian who was tortured by the Taliban in 2021, later resettled in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is now active in his local church. Despite having filed for asylum, he received a formal DHS notice ordering his departure.
The timing of the parole termination during Holy Week has energized Christian leaders in the U.S. and around the world.
“This isn’t just a legal issue; it’s a moral one,” according to the Enduring Hope Alliance (EHA). “As Christians across the globe reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, we’re being asked to turn away fellow believers facing real persecution.”
Refugees from Afghanistan walk through Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., Aug. 31, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The EHA, a coalition of churches, veterans, nonprofits and volunteers formed in the aftermath of the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, helped rescue and resettle over a thousand Christian converts and allies of the U.S. military. It reports spending millions in private donations and thousands of volunteer hours to bring persecuted individuals to safety.
“This is a moment for the administration to show compassion and leadership,” a source close to the EHA told Fox News Digital. “We’re not asking for open borders. We’re asking for a narrow, temporary solution to protect lives that are clearly at risk.”
The Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members remains a defining failure of the U.S. withdrawal. Faith leaders argue this is a chance for the Trump administration to fix one of the most painful consequences of that Biden-era decision — abandoning persecuted Christians.
“The Afghanistan withdrawal was one of the darkest chapters in American foreign policy,” said Mike Mannina, a former Bush White House official who helped lead the rescue alliance. He had never spoken publicly about it until now.
“What followed, though, was one of our finest hours — thousands of everyday Americans stepping up to save lives. I’d hate to see that work undone.”
An Afghan woman holds a baby on a bus after arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., Aug. 31, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Rev. Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan’s Purse, said he believes there may now be more time to resolve the crisis.
“No, it did not come up at the White House,” Graham said. “But I understand from Kristi Noem — she said that I think it’s July, that the Afghans have till July, or the government will work with them till July to get this work solved. So, it looked like they’re going to be deported maybe as of today. That’s what I heard. But … now [it’s] July. So, they’ve got more time to work out this visa issue.”
DHS has not publicly confirmed any extension. Multiple Afghan Christians received notices giving them seven days to leave the country.
Independent groups, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch, confirm that Afghan Christians are specifically targeted under Taliban rule. Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is punishable by death.
President Donald Trump bows his head during a prayer at an Easter prayer service and dinner in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Afghan Christians are in a more vulnerable position today under the Taliban than even Christians were under ISIS,” an assessment from Help The Persecuted says.
Advocates say deporting these individuals would violate both U.S. values and international law, which prohibits returning people to countries where they face likely torture or death.
Josh Youssef, founder of Help The Persecuted, said Trump has a clear opportunity to right a grave wrong left by the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
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“We know Christians were beaten, imprisoned and even killed by the Taliban,” Youssef told Fox News Digital. “Now, as some of those same people face deportation, President Trump can take a scalpel — not a hammer — and protect those at real risk of death for their faith.
“This is Good Friday,” he added. “It’s unthinkable to send Christians back to a country where they could face their own crucifixion. We’re asking the president to fix this.”
DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
