North Carolina Church Fights to Protect Afghan Christian Refugees from Deportation
Members of the Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, North Carolina, are urging the Trump administration to not deport nearly two dozen Christian refugees from Afghanistan who were ordered to leave the United States within days.
"We've been advocating with members of Congress and senators," Julie Tisdale, a seminary student who attends Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, told The Christian Post in an interview. "We've had some conversations with the staff who work on immigration issues in those offices. So in terms of advocacy, I would say that's been the big thing as well as some media stuff."
Tisdale also addressed the matter in an op-ed published to The Christian Post last week, noting that Afghan Christians who attended her church were informed via email that they had seven days to leave the country despite initially coming to the States following the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan in 2021, which had resulted in the Taliban taking control of the country.
All of these individuals "were deemed to face such a credible fear and were granted documented, legal status to be in the country, to obtain work permits, to get driver licenses, to rent apartments — to do all the normal things they need to do to be self-supporting,” Tisdale explained.
"Their journeys to the United States were harrowing, long and complicated, but they all entered the U.S. legally," she wrote. "That is not actually an easy thing to do. Immigration authorities interview individuals to assess whether they face a credible fear of persecution and torture in their home countries."
She further described her efforts as "trying to just spread the word and make sure that a broad base of people is aware of what's going on."
"Lots of people have written individual letters to their senators and congressmen as well, or made phone calls to their offices," she said.
At present, Tisdale says they've received "two types of responses," ranging from "automated responses that do not address the issue that we're concerned about at all" to "meetings in person, phone calls, emails with members of staff who work specifically on immigration issues within those offices" that have yielded "meaningful engagement."
According to Open Doors International's World Watch List, Afghanistan ranks as the 10th worst country in the world for Christian persecution.
According to Tisdale, a church member who lived in Afghanistan knew "many of these people."
"So it was through his personal connections that they first came to Apostles and began to connect with other members of the church," she said. "So it's all been very organic through personal relationships."
It has been almost a week since the Afghan Christians were supposed to leave the country, but Tisdale was thankful that "nothing has happened" to them.
"We are continuing to pursue all of these avenues to try to ensure that their legal picture and their legal status here remains clear. They have always been here legally. They've always followed all of the rules, and so, we are seeking clarification and assurances that legal status has not changed," she said.
"And so beyond just our efforts to clarify the situation and make sure that they have the assurances and the documentation that they need... nothing has changed. We are raising money as well... to help with their legal expenses. So we will be contributing to that over the coming weeks, months, however long it takes for their asylum cases to be processed."
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Drew Buzz
Originally published April 25, 2025.
