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As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule.
Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces.
“If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves,” Pastor Ben stated. “If they don’t kill them, they’ll put them in prison and beat them every single night.”
The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
EXCLUSIVE: AS AFGHAN CHRISTIANS FACE DEPORTATION, FAITH LEADERS URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RECONSIDER
Pastor Basir, the father of Pastor Ben and a former underground church leader in Afghanistan, baptizes a new believer at Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City. The congregation, made up largely of Afghan Christian refugees, includes families fleeing Taliban persecution. (Courtesy: Oklahoma Khorasan Church)
Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an “improved security situation” and a stabilizing economy as justification.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent,” Noem said. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.”
Afghans’ protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12.
Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration’s broader goal of rooting…
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