The Taliban takeover was the death sentence, our immigration system is the executioner.
Different voices, one story: betrayal, fear, criminalization, and growing resentment. These are the experiences of Afghans who fled to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
“Even now, I still hear my child crying in my ears. That moment has never left me.”
“All the doctors were beaten, and all the hospital equipment was destroyed. I was also hit in the face and head. It was a terrifying night. All the nurses and doctors were hiding in fear.”
“Fear had gripped my being after asking what kind of place this is. He told me this was a federal prison… The image I had of the United States in my mind was not at all convincing to really be America.”
Betrayal takes the form of immigration policy.
On the fourth anniversary of the fall of Kabul, Afghans are reminded not only of the failures of the 20-year-long American occupation in the name of abolishing those later handed power, but also of continued betrayal by the American government for which many Afghans risked their lives.
As a fellow for Afghans For A Better Tomorrow, I have interviewed various Afghans on their experiences following the takeover and navigating the American immigration system. As an Afghan-American I have heard so many of their stories in my daily life at our mosques, donation distributions, and in passing conversation. While these stories are certainly not homogenous, they all bear the collective bullet-wound from an American-supplied gun.
In order to safeguard the Afghans who assisted the American operation, Operation Allies Welcome resettled Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. government into America, some on SIVs but the majority on humanitarian parole or TPS. This included translators, government workers, and other vulnerable groups like activists and human rights defenders.
Their journeys were often nothing but easy, but at least after the arduous process of making it over finally to America, these Afghans should just settle in, right? Unfortunately, Congress’ failure to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act means now that Afghans are here in America on a temporary basis, whether on parole or TPS. They were never meant to really stay here; America was never meant to be their new home.
While many Afghans certainly wanted an end to American occupation, the nature of how it ended was a slap in the face for Afghans who had already suffered so much in the name of freedom—a freedom bought and sold in the currency of their blood. The withdrawal and so-called peace process was negotiated at a table at which the average, impacted Afghans did not have a seat. After the withdrawal, American weapons ended up in the hands — quite metaphorically — became those of the Taliban. Now, everyone affiliated with the United States’ operation is in grave danger at the hands of the de facto forces, leaving tens of thousands Afghan allies to the American government and others, including humanitarian workers, journalists, and ethnic and religious minorities, to face their grave future.
I am the child of immigrants. Chances are, you are, too.
With the expiration of Temporary Protective Status for Afghans, the 11,700 Afghans covered by TPS face an uncertain fate. By lifting TPS, the administration is telling Afghans that it’s safe to return. To Afghans, this is salt on an already gaping wound. While the State Department has issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Americans traveling to Afghanistan, those fleeing Taliban persecution are told they are safe to return. Without pathways for permanent residency, these endangered evacuees grapple with deportation right back into the hands of the Taliban.
From being used as tools in a war for American profit, to being betrayed in Afghanistan, to now facing deportations, Afghans have been failed by America and its promise to them countless times. Our immigration system is a betrayal. We owe the Afghan people permanent solutions, not continued displacement.
I am the child of immigrants. Chances are, you are, too. Or the child of the child of the child of immigrants. Unless you are Indigenous, you have no right to will them out of the country that your ancestors once immigrated to… or colonized.
No matter what lifting TPS signals, Afghanistan is not safe to return to. Immigration rulings aren’t just text in press releases. They have very real, very dire consequences on actual people and families. Here are their stories.
When the Taliban came, one night while I was on duty around 3 a.m. our hospital was suddenly attacked by unknown people. All the doctors were beaten, and all the hospital equipment was destroyed. I was also hit in the face and head. It was a terrifying night. All the nurses and doctors were hiding in fear.”
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Afghan lives, Afghan stories
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"The hardest decision of my life was fleeing without my children because I couldn’t take them with me. I had to choose between staying and being killed or surviving and hoping I could bring them later."
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“When the American forces left Afghanistan I was no longer able to live in the country. The most difficult decision in my life was to immigrate to the U.S. I have taken refuge here with a tired body and a broken heart, hoping for the day when no one is forced to leave their home, family, and land."
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"All the doctors were beaten, and all the hospital equipment was destroyed. I was also hit in the face and head. It was a terrifying night. All the nurses and doctors were hiding in fear."
Policy Recommendations
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Congress must pass adjustment of status to Afghans
Despite bipartisan and public support, passage of Afghan Adjustment/Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act (H.R.4895/S.2679) has not yet happened. With TPS terminated, it is critical now more than ever to ensure that we truly uphold the promises that America has made. This act would provide protections, namely a legal pathway to permanent legal status, solutions to the snowballing SIV processing backlog, and an interagency taskforce dedicated to coordinating resettlement, especially as embassies close.
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We must guarantee due process and stop detentions
Afghans fleeing the Taliban embark on difficult, dangerous journeys, they face deportation everywhere, whether it be Pakistan, Iran, or the country that promised their safety: the United States. Afghan or not, the United States must ensure that every person’s Constitutional right to due process and habeas corpus are upheld. Similarly, ICE agents must end the policy to detain asylum seekers at their immigration court proceedings, as their detention creates further barriers to their case
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There must be consistent, equitable grants of humanitarian parole
When the immigration system excludes them, Afghans often result in seeking refuge at the southern border as one of the few pathways remaining. However, rather than getting the support they need, Afghans get an inconsistent response with varying types and timelines of parole, some lasting only a few days. The fact that thousands of Afghans are apprehended and detained at the border is a clear sign of American abandonment of Afghans seeking safety post-2021. If there were a streamlined system in place, Mustafa may have had a chance at starting a life in America outside of a prison cell.
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Deportation protections must be re-instated
In the meantime while these long-term solutions are put in place, Afghanistan must be re-designated under Temporary Protective Status and funding should be allocated to Operation Enduring Welcome to ensure the more than 260,000 Afghans waiting in resettlement limbo are taken care of. The closure of Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) and reduced refugee infrastructure only fuel the problem. While already burdened processing capacities are decreased with budget and staff cuts to agencies like USCIS, the enforcement increases with significantly increased budgets to agencies like ICE and CBP, deepening imbalances and accessibility. More staff must be hired to address the old and growing issue of processing backlogs.
I am concerned about Afghans in the U.S. who do not have permanent residency status and are facing the threat of deportation to Afghanistan. If they are deported, it will be very difficult for them because there are no opportunities for work or education in Afghanistan, and there is no security. As a result, they will face serious hardships.”
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Dr. M, Former Doctor from Kabul resettled in the U.S.
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Meet the Fellow
Medina Danish
2024 Emerging Leaders Fellow
Medina is an incoming senior at the University of Berkeley, California as a major in Global Studies with a concentration in Peace & Conflict in the Middle East, and minoring in Public Policy.
Formerly, she was an intern with Project ANAR. In the past, led by her mother’s conviction, she has volunteered for Syrian refugees as well as for newly arrived Afghan children. Her project focused on collecting the stories of newly arrived Afghans throughout the country. She is also heavily involved in the Afghan-American community at the University of California, Berkeley through her work for Educate a Child for Change Organization and the Afghan Student Association.