US tells Afghan migrants to report on Christmas, New Year’s Day

The story is framed as if scheduling a check-in on a holiday is the real scandal. That’s an easy emotional hook, but it dodges the harder question: why so many people are in limbo for years, and why the public is asked to simply accept it.

Conservatives don’t see “document review” as cruelty. It’s the baseline of rule of law. If the government can’t verify identity, entry status, and sponsorship claims, then the system becomes a magnet for fraud and a breeding ground for distrust. That isn’t anti-Afghan. It’s pro-accountability and pro-public trust.

Afghanistan is also not a low-risk environment. Vetting matters for national security and for fairness to legal immigrants who follow the process. The principle at stake is simple: compassion without enforcement isn’t compassion, it’s institutional negligence.