In the wake of a deadly attack by an Afghan national on National Guard members in D.C., a 2021 clip resurfaced of Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), a Senate candidate to replace Mitch McConnell, advocating Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan allies who aided U.S. forces: “We owe them to help them get into our country.”
Reacting to the clip, conservatives, including rival Nate Morris, branded him a “RINO” for ignoring vetting risks amid Trump’s post-attack freeze on Afghan visas. Other critics questioned his motivations and expressed annoyance.
Breaking the story on social media, a popular conservative news account named
Paul A. Szypula posted, “Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) wants more Afghans given visas to stay in the US. He’s running for Senate and says we owe the Afghans. Unbelievable. RINOs like Barr need to be primaried not promoted.”
In the offending clip, Rep. Andy Barr made his opinion on immigration clear. “I mean, we have failed in our obligation to help many of these Afghans who risked their lives and in many cases died for the cause of their own country in assistance to the United States,” the RINO said.
Continuing his comments, the so-called Republican claimed, “We owe them to help them get into our country with these visas, and the P1 and P2 visas as well. And I voted for these special immigrant visas because it would send a terrible message to our allies around the world that we’re going to abandon you if you help us in your time of need.”
In the comments under the post, conservatives blasted the RINO. “No Andy. The American people don’t owe open-ended resettlement to every foreign national who picked up a paycheck from the DoD during a 20-year occupation we never should’ve extended,” one comment declared.
Doubling down, another user added, “Not only should these types of politicians not be allowed in politics, but they shouldn’t be allowed to live in our communities. If you need a security detail at all times to be a mayor or local politician, how is it not a red flag that you’re despised?”
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Rounding out the comments, one irritated user wrote, “No, any politician who goes against the will of the American people should be arrested for ‘high treason’. If they don’t want to put our interests first, they shouldn’t be launching political campaigns.”
Watch the clip here:
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow has outlined how the government would be reacting to the relentless targeting of our troops. “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” he noted.
Adding to his previous comments, Edlow said, “The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non-negotiable.”
Featured image from embedded video