Since the Carter administration, the U.S. government has seen the control of Afghanistan as central to its global power objectives. Through both clandestine and overt operations, the U.S. armed the Mujahadeen and fighters like Osama bin Laden to battle both Afghan communists and the U.S.S.R.; then, once the U.S.S.R. pulled out of Afghanistan in defeat, supported Afghan forces who had fought against some of the same religious powers the U.S. had previously supported; then invaded the country after 9/11 and drove the Taliban from power, remained in the country for 20 years in support of those powers and in support of the Afghan military; and finally, in August of 2021, hastily withdrew all troops and personnel as the Taliban again took political and military control of the country.
During those 40-plus years of U.S. intervention, the U.S. made alliances with people and forces in Afghanistan who were opposed initially to the communists, then to Taliban rule. Afghans allied with the U.S. for various reasons: because they had values fundamentally opposed to the Taliban; because of regional and tribal histories; because they believed an alliance with the U.S. would help make Afghanistan a better country; for their own safety; for religious reasons; and for other personal reasons. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans in one way or another were connected to the U.S. presence in the country, and a large percentage of them felt threatened by reassertion of control in 2021 by the Taliban. So did human rights defenders, journalists, and social and political activists of various sorts.
Some of these thousands were in the military or were working on behalf of the Afghan or U.S. military, or in connection with the CIA or other entities. When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August of 2021, thousands of Afghans escaped the country, including around 90,000 people who entered the U.S. through the Operations Allies Welcome [OAW] program. This was an effort involving Department of Defense, Department of State, non-governmental refugee resettlement agencies, states, and private community sponsor circles to provide safe haven to individuals resettled in communities across the nation.1 The evacuation of Afghans was the largest since the Vietnam War.
Many of those who reached the U.S. had to leave behind their spouses, children, and extended families. They lost all which tethered them to their old lives in just a few days and, in some cases, a few hours.
As the Kabul airport fell, some pilots and other Air Force personnel were able to fly their aircraft to neighboring countries. This commandeering of Afghan military equipment both saved lives and removed critical equipment from the Taliban as they took control. Reports from the scene at the airport are chaotic and heartbreaking.2
For many who escaped, resettlement has been rocky. Tens of thousands of people were temporarily paroled into the U.S. as no other viable option was available immediately to respond to the emergent humanitarian crisis created by the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Once paroled, these individuals were asked to file for asylum — a legal safeguard mechanism available to those who seek protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in their country. However, the process can be rather complicated and finding immigration attorneys with the capacity to handle cases on a pro bono basis has proved to be a problem.
Sponsor circles — a community-led resettlement initiative officially launched by the Department of State in 2021 — formed in communities across the state to assist Afghan new arrivals. These groups provided initial resettlement services in partnership with the U.S. government by finding housing, meeting basic needs, helping people seek employment and education, and helping them navigate their new communities. This initiative was necessary as the refugee resettlement infrastructure experienced severe funding cuts under the former administration. These cuts forced the closure of local affiliates of the nine non-governmental agencies that had previously partnered with the U.S. government to provide resettlement services.
Sponsor circles, scaled-back resettlement agencies, non-profit legal service providers, volunteers, and private attorneys joined forces to assist our new Afghan neighbors.
As an attorney assisting in the effort, Steffani has encountered many folks near the end of the parole period who have either not filed for asylum due to the lack of assistance or filed but are still waiting for decisions. A small group of committed volunteers, including Peter Kardas, Habibullah Noorzaie, Jennifer Miller, and Karen Lazcarro, are teaming with Steffani to prepare asylum claims and, after the claims are approved, to petition for spouses and children left behind in Afghanistan. In addition to feeling of use to people trying to navigate very complex immigration processes, we have very much enjoyed the warmth, humor, curiosity, drive, and commitment of everyone we have assisted. Their stories and their relations to the U.S. are complex, but beyond that their humanity is very much present. That is a wondrous thing given all the decades of war they, their families, and their communities have endured.
Peter Kardas is a voluntary community member working with Steffani Powell to assist Afghan nationals.
1 Interactive Map: Welcoming Afghans Across America (And the World) - National Immigration Forum. https://immigrationforum.org/article/
interactive-map-welcoming-afghans-across-america-
and-the-world/?gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAH
JbJ8scClT69BZQS_3LcKHFdtafwN2uy2ytk_KdLbwJ
btJPgr6VnbVn9hRoCS_sQAvD_BwE.
2 Special Report: Pilots detail chaotic collapse of the Afghan Air Force | Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/pilots-
detail-chaotic-collapse-afghan-air-force-2021-12-29/.
