Cedar Rapids protesters show support for Afghans facing deportation

CEDAR RAPIDS — More than 100 people gathered Tuesday in Cedar Rapids in support of Afghans who arrived in Iowa after U.S. troops pulled out of the war in Afghanistan, but who now could face deportation starting next week after the Trump administration ends temporary protected status for them.

“It’s just unconscionable that they could help us and then we turn our backs on them,” said Mary Campbell, one of the protesters. “They’re not illegal aliens. They’re people. They’re human beings.”

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The protest was organized by Indivisible Iowa and held across the street from the Cedar Rapids federal courthouse in southeast Cedar Rapids, where Republican U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson have offices.

Indivisible Iowa has been hosting weekly protests there at noon every Tuesday for the past few months, focusing each week on different concerns that members have with the Trump administration. The group also hosted weekly protests during all four years of the previous Trump administration, from 2016 to 2020.

They expressed concerns Tuesday about a variety of President Donald Trump’s policies, including his approach to education, Social Security benefits, veteran’s services, health care and tariffs.

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“There’s so much, it just boggles the mind,” protester Jerry Beck said.

“The society we have going on now cannot stand,” Vicky Bouska added. “This is not who we are, and this has to stop. … Our country’s morality is going away.”

The focus of this week’s protest was Trump’s immigration policies, specifically the potential deportation of thousands of Afghan people who were brought to the United States in 2021 and 2022 as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after U.S. troops pulled out after a 20-year war. Many of them helped the United States during the war, and could face retribution from the Taliban if they return.

“If deported, these brave men, women and families face near-certain torture or death at the hands of the Taliban,” Sharon Poplawski, one of the organizers of the rally, said in a statement before the event. “This is not just a bureaucratic issue; it’s a life-or-death crisis, and Iowans must not stay silent.”

Many of the Afghans are living in the United States under temporary protected status, a federal designation that protects people who come from countries experiencing unsafe conditions, like war or natural disasters, from being deported, and also grants them work authorization. There were 9,630 Afghan nationals in the United States covered under temporary protected status as of September 2024, according to a 2024 federal report.

The Biden administration designated Afghan people as eligible for temporary protected status in 2022, and renewed the designation in 2023. The current designation expires May 20, and the Trump administration has stated it will not be renewed.

Joe Stutler, an Army veteran who attended Tuesday’s protest, said failing to support the Afghans sets a bad precedent that will make it harder for U.S. armed forces to find allies during future conflicts.

“These allies who supported us in a time of war will be killed if they go back home,” Stutler said. “We’ve shouldn’t be screwing over the people who put their lives on the line for us.”

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Stutler said he regularly attends the weekly protests seen a consistent turnout the last few weeks of about 80 people. So he was excited to see more than 100 on Tuesday.

After the rally, some protesters crossed the street to bring their complaints to the offices of Iowa’s congressional delegation.

“This rally is about holding our elected leaders accountable to their promises, and standing up for the Afghan families who believed in our promise of safety,” Poplawski said in a statement. “We must protect those who protected our military men and women.”

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