What’s happening in Afghanistan is an unfolding tragedy that was not only foreseeable but preventable. It’s also strongly reminiscent of the Biden administration’s failures right here at home on our southern border.
As former President Trump outlined, American troops should have been brought home long ago once an agreement for their departure had been reached, and security agreements to protect the civilian population had been finalized.
The continuing presence of American troops sent the clear message that the Afghan government was not yet ready to stand on its own and served to motivate radicals who worked to bring about the resurgence of the Taliban. Leaving behind numerous Afghans who stood by our forces and aided our efforts in the hands of the Taliban is unforgivable, and we had a duty to protect and extract them.
Likewise, we have a duty to communities along the Texas border – communities and citizens who have been left behind by the federal government to bear the weight of drug smuggling, human trafficking and violence all on their own. This was not a crisis that materialized overnight, but like Afghanistan was a slowly developing disaster that could have been prevented.
Watching the haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan throws into sharp relief the failures of planning and coordination by our President. We allowed an inexcusable amount of American military equipment and technology to fall into the hands of the Taliban and other terrorists to use against the Afghan people and others in the region.
Worst of all, the breathtaking fall of Afghanistan is by far the most consequential foreign policy crisis Americans have experienced since the Iranian hostage crisis and President Carter’s failed rescue attempt. American allies around the world are now seeing that Biden’s America is one that cannot be trusted or counted on.
This is something that Texas has already come to understand and know. We are leading on solving the crisis at our border because Washington can’t and won’t. What we’ve seen happen in Afghanistan is just another example of the failure of the Biden administration – and we’re only 210 days in.
