WGBH: Two years later, Afghan evacuees in Massachusetts face uncertainty
When the U.S. started its military withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago, Zarlasht was on her way to work at the Afghan Human Rights Commission in Kabul when she got a call with the news.
”It was really one of the darkest days of our lives,” said Zarlasht, who asked GBH News to only use her first name to protect family members, including her sister, who remain in Afghanistan. “I still remember every single moment that we spent there knowing that, that the whole country’s collapsed to the enemy.”
Zarlasht got out and eventually settled in Malden with the help of Catholic Charities Boston. She is one of well over 2,000 Afghan evacuees who have resettled in Massachusetts over the past two years.
They deal with uncertainty and the knowledge that their immigration status under humanitarian parole expires this year, and they’ll only be able to renew for another unless something changes.
The stop-gap immigration policy has earned the ire of politicians and refugee resettlement groups. Many evacuees worked in Afghanistan with the American military or promoting democracy in humanitarian groups — roles that make them targets for retribution under the Taliban.
“It’s not a viable solution at all. This is a joke, to say you’re gonna apply for a one-year extension after you risked your life for our country and you’re promised you’d have a place to live here permanently?” said Mass. Congressman Seth Moulton, who served four tours as a U.S. Marine in Iraq.
Moulton has sponsored the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide work permits and a pathway to citizenship. That would be a significant expansion from the status quo under which only some evacuees can legally work . The bill would also make it easier for 300,000 Afghans still living under Taliban rule to apply for special immigrant visas. The legislation is currently stalled by Senate Republicans.
The International Institute of New England has resettled 435 evacuees in Massachusetts. Jeff Thielman, the institute's president, said the legal uncertainty of extended humanitarian parole is “the greatest challenge,” and they’re supporting the Afghan Adjustment Act.
In the meantime, evacuees in Massachusetts are being supported by groups of private residents, known as welcome circles. WelcomeNST is one of the organizations shepherding the process of vetting over 400 evacuees and matching them with circles.
"They never disappoint because fundamentally it's driven by love. These people come to really care for and love these families," said Elizabeth Davis-Edwards, CEO of WelcomeNST.
