ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) issued this statement as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to curb immigration in the wake of the deadly attacks on National Guard members in Washington, D.C., allegedly perpetrated by an Afghan national who served with the United States.

“The shooting is a tragedy. So, too, is the Trump administration’s response—a series of collective punishments for all Afghans and immigrants more broadly in the United States. CVT condemns both.

“Visas for Afghans and all asylum application decisions have been halted, and re-examinations have been requested for Afghans as well as those from the president’s list of 19 banned countries, amounting to racist and Islamophobic targeting of people who are fleeing conflict and, in many cases, torture. The people escaping these countries’ abuses must not be further restricted because of those abuses.

“For the past 40 years CVT has provided rehabilitative care to refugees and asylum seekers who are survivors of torture and war trauma, and advocated for increased services and protections as they seek to rebuild their lives. In fact, we have projects dedicated to supporting Afghans as they adjust to life in the United States after fleeing their homes. We understand the need for trauma-informed care for populations who have survived unthinkable violence. This kind of care provides a sense of safety and stability, both of which are building blocks in a process through which many survivors heal and thrive.

“The Trump administration’s use of the shooting as an excuse to increase restrictions on immigration is deplorable, especially as communities are seeking refuge, suffering from the effects of armed conflict. A blanket asylum pause is cruel – people are in limbo; their fate hangs in the balance.

“The murder is reprehensible. But Trump’s punitive actions are overreaching in their scale and cruelty to a group of people to whom we made promises of safe haven and the chance to make a new life.” -Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org.