WASHINGTON D.C. — Bipartisan support for resettling Afghan allies and refugees is promising but comes with the danger of a “nativist backlash,” as an editorial in today’s Boston Globe highlights.
“Stories of Americans embracing Afghan refugees have been heartwarming. The risk of a nativist backlash is all too real — but so is the opportunity for this country to rekindle its historic role as a beacon of hope for oppressed groups,” the Globe editorial board writes. “ … At least at the moment, support for Afghan refugees crosses the political divides that so often paralyze this country, despite a few outliers. At a time of deep polarization, that’s a hopeful sign.
“ ‘If we can welcome Afghan refugees across political lines and at the local and national level, we go a long way to strengthening our democracy,’ ” said Ali Noorani, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, as quoted in the editorial. “ ‘ … If nativist forces are successful in weaponizing this crisis, the likelihood of political violence, much less upheaval, increases every day.’ ”
The full editorial is available here.