Congress, Dont Stab Me to Death Like Jon Snow

I doubt many members of Congress are caught up on the latest season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Most are probably counting the days until July 18th when they can leave D.C. and binge watch all 10 episodes of season 6 from their home states. As the news reports continue to flow in from last night’s tragedy in Orlando, I am struck by how similar the events unfolding before us are to the ongoing quest for the Iron Throne. In our world, there is a battle of good versus evil that is challenging the very core of who we are as Americans. In the midst of a heated Presidential election, people are choosing sides. Fear is lingering in the air and hate drives many to scream for action against refugees, Muslims, guns, etc. We are more divided than ever and like the debates in the halls of King’s Landing, our Congress is trying to make sense of a world that seems to be coming apart.  

If you are in anyway associated with our Congress and you don’t watch Game of Thrones on Sunday nights, you should. If you do watch and you’ve missed this season, this article is going to spoil some things for you, but keep reading. My spoilers are directly related to issues that Congress should really think about before they go back to work on Monday. The TV show we all love and crave has an important message related to the Special Immigrant Visa currently being debated on the floor of the Senate.

At 22 years old, I raised my right hand and swore an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Like Jon Snow, I left my family and a good life behind for the U.S. military, A.K.A America’s Night’s Watch. My country, like the mythical world of Westeros, is under threat from a force that seeks to end our way of life completely. Yes, I did just compare the Taliban and ISIS to the White Walkers. In the Seven Kingdoms, the only thing separating this good and evil is a massive ice wall. The 21 century American version of this wall are the various U.S. military outposts spread across the globe.

I personally went beyond the “wall” in Iraq. As a military advisor, I trained and fought alongside foreigners who had the same hatred of the White Walkers as I do. I served on a small team under the complete protection of foreign and yes, Muslim allies. Similarly, Jon Snow’s various ranging missions led him to ally with wildlings, foreigners distrusted by the rest of Westeros just because they are outsiders. One of these wildlings even saves Jon’s life and he immediately finds a sense of trust for these strangers. I know this feeling all too well. An Iraqi “wildling” saved my life in 2006.

Throughout the last few seasons, Jon has been an outspoken supporter of the wildlings. He has lived with them, advocated for them and even snuck a few thousand inside of the wall so that they can avoid an almost certain death at the hands of the White Walkers. I am the founder of the Ronin Refugee Project , an organization that advocates for wartime allies turned refugees. Yes, America’s wildlings. For the last year, my team, along with our partners at No One Left Behind , Vets for American Ideals  and the International Refugee Assistance Project  have been meeting with members of Congress. Together, we have highlighted the very real threat of death that exists for many Iraqis and Afghans who have been left to fend for themselves in the wake of our military withdrawal overseas.

In season 5, Jon Snow’s pleas to allow wildlings into Westeros are met with emotions ranging from ambivalence to downright anger among his fellow watchmen. His own squire, Olly, whose parents were killed by wildlings pleads with Jon to keep the wall closed. I can sympathize with Olly’s anger. One my own soldiers was killed by an Afghan who turned on us. Immediately following tragedy, it’s too easy to blame anyone who looks or sounds like an outsider. But I would caution Congress to remember how xenophobia is currently weakening Westeros despite the looming threat from the White Walkers.

I just got back from Washington, D.C. for what seemed like round five of my own pleas for Congress to take some action, any action, to protect our wartime allies who have honorably fought alongside thousands of Jon Snows like me. There are Iraqis and Afghans who are being hunted right now because they stood by us against people who have the same disgusting hatred which appears to have contributed to the massacre in Orlando.

Literally, the only policy tool left to give America’s wildlings a chance of safety is the Special Immigrant Visa. This program, which applies only to the interpreters and contractors who worked for the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to run out of visas by the end of this year. After that, there is pretty much a ZERO percent chance that the 10,000 or so applicants currently waiting in the backlog are going to get into the United States. Instead, they will have to flee and hide somewhere beyond our wall. If that happens, our country, veterans like me, and most definitely Congress, will have abandoned them to death by the White Walkers. We should all remember how the decision to leave thousands of wildlings on the icy beaches came back upon Hodor at the end of last week’s episode. Aww, valiant Hodor. You did your job buddy.

An extension of 4,000 SIV visas is currently being debated on the Senate floor as part of the National Defense Authorization Act . It almost passed this week. Senator Lee challenged the measure despite fellow Republicans Senator McCain and Senator Grahams’ support in a heated debate that would make even the council in King’s Landing cringe with fear. The idea of allowing Muslim wildlings into the U.S. is controversial but so are the ever changing alliances among the various kingdoms in Game of Thrones. There are some members of Congress who would take the same path as Olly and allow anger to drive their vote.  

In Westeros, the debate over the wildlings ends with one man, Jon Snow. He acts on their behalf, just like my organization and our partners have done on behalf of our wildlings. Well, as most of us sadly remember from the final episode of season 5, Jon Snow’s act causes his own kind, the watchmen, to stab him one by one until he bleeds to death in the snow. It’s the seemingly faithful Olly who strikes the final blow straight into Jon’s heart.

America’s season hasn’t ended yet. I will be watching the Senate debate the SIV on Monday. Senators, I beg you. Please don’t stab me and my fellow veterans with a vote that offers no additional visas for those who have nothing to do with the violence striking us here at home. You will decide the fate of thousands of our allies. I’ll be ready for whatever you decide, but unlike Jon Snow, there is no black magic that can reverse a killing blow.