Leading with Light
December 15, 2025
At the Wassmuth Center, our work is guided by a single, unwavering principle: every person has inherent dignity. Dignity is the foundation of human rights, and it is threatened whenever fear leads us to see people as problems to control rather than human beings to honor and protect. Fear narrows our vision and makes it easier to justify policies that strip others of safety, belonging, or due process. Like the torch of the Statue of Liberty, nations that uphold human rights cast light into places shadowed by persecution and oppression. But when fear takes the lead, that light dims and we all feel its absence.
In recent weeks, immigrants in the United States have felt that dimming acutely. After the tragic shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., federal actions have targeted refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan, imposing measures that jeopardize their safety and stability. For decades, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has protected those fleeing persecution for their race, nationality, religion, ethnicity, or social group. That commitment has anchored both our moral leadership and our global standing. Abandoning it weakens both.
The human impact of these shifts became clear at a recent gathering of local Afghan leaders at the Wassmuth Center. These men and their families were welcomed to the United States because they helped our government and military in Afghanistan. They served as interpreters, pilots, medics, and in other essential roles. Their work placed their families at significant risk, and in return, the U.S. pledged to protect them when our forces withdrew in 2021. Despite the turmoil of that withdrawal, the commitments our government made initially remained in place.
But now, as new guidelines continue to unfold, their families’ futures have become precarious. They spoke about the real possibility of being separated from loved ones or forced back to a country where imprisonment or death is near certain. They expressed sorrow over the D.C. shooting and a deep sense of disappointment that the American ideals of dignity, freedom, and agency they trusted might not be extended to them. They described the harsh reality of life under an extremist, theocratic government that has become financially, socially, and culturally unbearable and the hope they carried for a stable life here in Idaho. One father shared how he makes sure his wife and children carry their documents with them at all times and about how he is always looking over his shoulder. And yet, even as their situations grow more uncertain, these families continue contributing to their communities and supporting one another with remarkable resilience.
Their story is not unique. Across immigrant communities, lives are significantly affected by policies rooted in fear rather than dignity. Here in Idaho, our Afghan neighbors remind us of the responsibility we all share: to lean into our national aspirations of liberty and justice for all, to resist broad-brush judgments, and to ensure that the actions of one are never used to justify the punishment of many. In this season of light, let us renew our commitment to honor the dignity of every person in our community. And may our nation choose to shine as a light the world can see.