Republican division grows in the face of hostility towards Afghans

WASHINGTON (AP) – As the United States scrambles to evacuate its citizens and allies from the chaos of Afghanistan, a growing number of Republicans question whether Washington should host Afghans who worked side by side with Americans, increasing internal divisions in the formation. before the midterm elections next year.

In addition to harsh criticism of Joe Biden in the first major foreign policy crisis of his tenure, some Republicans turn to the nationalist and anti-immigrant rhetoric honed by former President Donald Trump during his four years in the White House. This upsets others in the party who believe that the United States should serve those who have helped them in the past two decades.

“I think these false narratives that you are dealing with a bunch of terrorists … have no real foundation,” said Olivia Troye, a former White House national security adviser and current director of the Republican Accountability Project. “There is no basis for this in terms of intelligence and national security.”

Neil Newhouse, a veteran Republican analyst, pointed out that the rhetoric reflects “a general increase” in concern in the country about the risk of terrorist threats after the fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban, not only in the short term because of those that have not been properly examined, but one or two years ahead.

“There is a feeling that we are less safe as a country as a result of this,” he said.

The Biden government has stressed that each person who receives authorization to enter the country is being thoroughly investigated by officials who work 24 hours a day. But refugees have become a growing sticking point, with Trump and his supporters demanding that the departure of Americans from Afghanistan be prioritized and warning of the potential dangers posed by Afghans rescued in one of the largest civilian air evacuations in the country. history.

But others, including Republican governors and congressmen, have taken a different stance: They welcome refugees to their regions and work tirelessly to help those trying to leave the country. On Capitol Hill, efforts to help voters’ friends and family of Afghan voters consume the time of legislators from both parties.

The United States has evacuated more than 100,000 people since the start of the operation on August 14, of which more than 5,100 were US citizens. Although the government’s explicit priority is to get its citizens out, the numbers reflect the demographics of those trying to flee.

Authorities believe that some 500 Americans who want to leave Afghanistan are still there, while others would like to stay. And many of the Afghans, including those who served as interpreters or assistants, are desperate to escape fearing that they will be the main targets of Taliban retaliation once the US withdrawal is complete.

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Associated Press journalist Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

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