Keeping Our Promise Inc.

“What Justice Means To Me”

Dear KOP supporters,

During a hearing before Congress this past week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is accepting white South Africans while continuing to block Afghans who served the U.S., or whose families served the U.S., because the South Africans can supposedly "quickly assimilate."

Rubio told Congress:

"Everything we do has to be geared by the national interest."
It is in our national interest if we are allowing people to enter our country ... be people who can quickly assimilate into society and be successful."

But if assimilation, success, and the national interest are truly the standard, then there may be no group that has earned the right to come to America more than Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa applicants.

These men and women are not strangers to the United States.

They served alongside American soldiers, diplomats, aid workers, and intelligence personnel during two decades of war. They translated for our troops, guarded our bases, worked in our embassies, supported our missions, and risked their lives because they believed in America's promise, and they fought to change their country, which we then abandoned. There was no "Marshal Plan" for Afghanistan.

Many were threatened by the Taliban and ISIL precisely because they chose to stand with us.

The Special Immigrant Visa program exists because Congress recognized that America has both a moral obligation and a strategic interest in protecting those who protected us.

And when these allies arrive, they succeed.

Here in Monroe County, New York, 61 Special Immigrant Visa families have purchased homes since 2018. Their children are attending college and pursuing careers as attorneys, engineers, doctors, dentists, teachers, and business owners. They pay taxes, buy homes, volunteer in their communities, and contribute to our economy.

They are not a burden.

They are living proof that America's investment in its allies pays dividends for generations.

More importantly, this issue is about more than economics or assimilation statistics.

It is about whether the United States keeps its word.

If America abandons the people who risked their lives for our military and diplomatic missions, what message does that send to future allies in the next conflict? Why would anyone trust American promises if they see that loyalty is not returned?

The national interest is not simply measured by how quickly someone learns English or adapts to American culture.
The national interest is measured by whether the United States remains a country whose word means something.

I want to share with you what an SIV's daughter, who is in the 8th grade, recently wrote for a school project entitled "What Justice Means to Me."

Her name is Bita. She has been in the United States for 11 months.

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"What Justice Means to Me."
By Bita J.

"In Afghanistan, my home country, there were many rules. But those rules weren’t justice; they were a cage.

Under the Taliban, the law dictated that my education was a crime and my voice was a sin.

To me, justice is the difference between a rule that holds you down and a law that protects your right to rise.

When my family and I arrived in the United States, justice stopped being a scary word and started sounding like music.

Today, I sit in the eighth grade as one of the top students in my school.

I have the freedom to play the trombone -a big, shiny, brassy instrument- and join the school band.

To me, justice looks like the "A"s on my report card and the weight of that instrument in my hands. When I push the slide to hit a bold note, I am reclaiming the voice that was once forbidden.

Justice means that your gender or birthplace should not determine the ceiling of your dreams. It is the guarantee that everyone has the right to become their best version in a respectful, peaceful manner.

It is not simply the rule of law, since laws can be dictated by blind-minded rulers; true justice is the guarantee that your potential is limited only by your imagination.

Now, when I hit a perfect note or ace an exam, I am no longer a whisper in the dark; I am a melody in the light. Justice is being able to call a land home and knowing that home will value your potential and allow you to shine."

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That is what America offered this young woman.

That is what Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders believed in when they stood beside our troops and our diplomats.

And that is why welcoming our wartime allies is not an act of charity.

It is an act of honor.

A nation that keeps its promises is stronger, safer, and more respected than one that does not.

It’s finally here!

Tonight we are gathering with our supporters at our annual Road to Resilience Gala fundraiser as a symbol of our commitment to our wartime allies.

We express sincere appreciation to all our sponsors for showing what it means to be Rooted In Community so generously!

Thank you for supporting our mission, SIVs who now call Rochester home, and those still hoping for travel restrictions to be lifted so they too can safely resettle.

Ticket sales have ended, but you can still help us continue this important work with a donation at the link in bio.

On this Memorial Day, we honor all who served and sacrificed in defense of freedom, our relatives and friends, including the Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa families who stood beside American troops in war.

All of us have friends and family members who have been touched by war, and because of this, today, quietly and solemnly, we remember American service members and our SIV allies alike. And today, KOP recommits to keeping our promise to those who served beside us.

To all veterans, Gold Star families, and SIV families in our community: we thank you, we honor you, and we will never forget your sacrifice.

We are down to the final few hours to get tickets to our annual Road to Resilience Gala fundraiser on Saturday, May 30th from 6-9pm at Irondequoit Country Club.

We will gather to show our continued commitment to our wartime allies as valued members of the Rochester community, and to support SIV families as they build strong foundations during their first years as new Americans.

Help us fill the final table!

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/event/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/

Thanks to the support of our sponsors and ticket sales we are opening a limited number of reduced-rate Community Access tickets for our annual Road to Resilience Gala fundraiser.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to join us for an evening rooted in community, connection, and support for Rochester SIV families, and those still waiting for settlement to resume.

Reduced-rate tickets are $100 and available first come, first serve.

Sales end tomorrow, May 22. Get yours today!

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/event/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/

From our partners at :

A federal court has just ordered that State Department must notify all SIVs who have received Chief of Mission approval but haven’t yet interviewed or received their visa that their visas will be denied if they interview.

This is the language they’ll receive:

📣Only three tables remain for our annual Road to Resilience Gala fundraiser.

Join us for an evening, rooted in connection, belonging, and community while supporting Rochester SIV families during the critical first years of settlement.

Together we’re ensuring KOP is ready when SIV immigration resumes and families can find safety, support, and community here in Rochester.

Ticket sales end Friday, May 22. Don’t wait to get yours!

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/event/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/

Show up for those who showed up for us!

Join us for our annual Road to Resilience gala fundraiser in support of Rochester SIVs building a foundation rooted in connection, belonging, and community.

Get your tickets before it’s too late. Sales end THIS FRIDAY, May 22nd. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/event/2026roadtoresiliencegalaregistration/

The government has started cutting SNAP benefits to SIV families because they are not U.S. citizens.

They served our nation. It's the least we can do for them.

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"When your soldiers asked us to stand beside them, we stood beside them.

When they asked us to interpret, we interpreted.

When they asked us to fight, we fought.

Many of our friends and family members died doing what America asked.

We have been told over and over again for 20 years that America does not forget its friends."

From our partners at No One Left Behind