EXCLUSIVE: As Afghan Christians face deportation, faith leaders urge Trump administration to reconsider

SPECIAL Christian leaders say President Donald Trump has a chance to fix a Biden-era mistake by halting deportations of believers facing torture or death As thousands of Christians rallied during Holy Week faith leaders across the U S urged Trump to intervene and stop the deportation of Afghan Christians who face near-certain persecution under the Taliban On April the Department of Homeland Protection DHS communicated it would terminate humanitarian parole for Afghan nationals effectively ordering thousands to leave the U S within days Though early reporting referred to the change as ending temporary protected status TPS internal DHS notifications confirm the affected Afghans were in fact under humanitarian parole The mislabeling was repeated by media outlets and DHS but has since been corrected in official memos from advocacy groups TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS AMID DEPORTATION PUSHThe initiative shift affects about Afghans living legally in the U S while awaiting special immigrant visa SIV or asylum adjudication Among them according to documents obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital are hundreds of Christians various of whom converted after the U S withdrawal from Afghanistan and now face life-threatening danger under Taliban rule We believe all 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 -day pause on deportations to allow time for legal pathways or protections HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING DESCRIPTION ON BIDEN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTANTheir proposal includes a vetted and qualified exemptions list identifying Christians preponderance at pitfall 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 later resettled in Raleigh North Carolina and is now progressing 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 demanded to turn away fellow believers facing real persecution The EHA a coalition of churches veterans nonprofits and supporters formed in the aftermath of the Biden administration s withdrawal from Afghanistan helped rescue and resettle over a thousand Christian converts and allies of the U S military It reports spending millions in private donations and thousands of volunteer hours to bring persecuted individuals to safety This is a moment for the administration to show compassion and leadership a source close to the EHA reported Fox News Digital We re not asking for open borders We re asking for a narrow temporary answer to protect lives that are clearly at menace The Aug suicide bombing at Kabul's Abbey Gate that killed U S institution members remains a defining failure of the U S withdrawal Faith leaders argue this is a chance for the Trump administration to fix one of the the majority painful consequences of that Biden-era decision abandoning persecuted Christians The Afghanistan withdrawal was one of the darkest chapters in American foreign protocol reported Mike Mannina a former Bush White House official who helped lead the rescue alliance He had never spoken publicly about it until now What followed though was one of our finest hours thousands of everyday Americans stepping up to save lives I d hate to see that work undone In an unique interview with Fox News Digital Rev Franklin Graham the president of Samaritan s Purse stated he believes there may now be more time to resolve the emergency No it did not come up at the White House Graham revealed But I understand from Kristi Noem she stated that I think it's July that the Afghans have till July or the establishment will work with them till July to get this work solved So it looked like they're going to be deported maybe as of at present 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 proven 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 Afghan Christians are in a more vulnerable position at present 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 stated Trump has a clear opportunity to right a grave wrong left by the Biden administration s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP We know Christians were beaten imprisoned and even killed by the Taliban Youssef explained Fox News Digital Now as several of those same people face deportation President Trump can take a scalpel not a hammer and protect those at real danger 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 promptly respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment