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."
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.
Jasmine is a writer at Fox News Digital and a military spouse based in New Orleans. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-afghan-christians-face-deportation-faith-leaders-urge-trump-administration-reconsider