Tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees residing in the United States find themselves caught in a frustrating limbo, their dreams of a permanent life in the country still unrealized.
Lawmakers have repeatedly stumbled in advancing crucial legislation to solidify their status, leaving this displaced community hanging in uncertainty.
Afghan evacuees in limbo
With their arrival numbering around 80,000, Afghan evacuees in the U.S. triggered the formation of an “adjustment act,” a measure mirroring the precedent set by past military evacuations.
This practice, undertaken by the U.S. government, extends permanent residency to those rescued from strife-ridden regions. However, the passage of this bill has encountered unceasing obstacles in Congress.
Helal Massomi, an evacuee who has since become an Afghan policy adviser for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, lamented, “Afghans who specifically came here are grappling with immense challenges, particularly as many of their humanitarian parole visas near expiration. It’s been two years of living in a temporary state, with no avenue available for them to seek permanent residency. This situation feels like a breach of the promise made to our allies after two decades of shared conflict.”
In the absence of concrete Congressional action, the Biden administration has appealed to Afghan evacuees to apply for “re-parole.” However, this ad hoc solution has left many evacuees questioning the stability of their future in the U.S. and the authenticity of the promised permanence.
One senator vs. evacuees?
The logjam in Congress is a result of a single Republican senator’s “uneasiness.” The most recent attempt to incorporate the legislation into an annual defense policy bill met its demise in August, as Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) placed a hold on the proposed amendment.
Shawn VanDiver, the initiator of the #AghanEvac coalition, highlighted, “To be honest, the Democrats haven’t posed the obstacle. The primary hindrance comes from Republicans who seem preoccupied with the political implications of this issue.”
As Afghan evacuees observe the second anniversary of their journey to the U.S., their aspiration for a stable life within the nation remains ensnared in the intricate web of politics.
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