Individual Americans step up to help Afghan arrivals

Many Americans have watched with horror as thousands of Afghans desperately try to flee their country following the Taliban takeover. Compassion and a sense of responsibility have driven many to look for ways to assist those Afghans who make it to the US.

Since 2006, the US has allowed a limited number of Afghans and Iraqis who directly worked for the US military or other parts of the US government in Afghanistan and Iraq, such as interpreters, to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa.

There are many more Afghans pursuing these visas than there are available visas, and now they face extreme challenges trying to leave the country. However, the US recently expedited efforts to help evacuate eligible Afghans.

In response, many Americans are stepping up to help welcome Afghan arrivals. The US government has a refugee resettlement program, in which the government works with nine nongovernmental resettlement agencies, which in turn work with a wide range of local volunteer organizations. As the first evacuations of Afghans began, these organizations ramped up their efforts.

Multiple organizations involved in helping new refugee arrivals have reported receiving an outpouring of support in the last week. Many Americans are donating funds to these organizations. Others are directly donating items, such as furnishings, toys and food, to help Afghan refugees start a new life. Organizations that help find housing and provide basic necessities for refugees have reported receiving an overwhelming number of donated items. Many people are also volunteering their time and skills.

Sadly, the reality is that many Afghans who are eligible for refuge in the US — and who will be targeted by the Taliban — will never make it to the country. This reality has raised pressing questions about who is to blame for the tragic circumstances. Complaints about long delays in SIV applications go back years, at least into the Obama administration. However, problems with the system became deeper and more urgent during the Trump administration.

Though courts blocked then-President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban,” his administration took multiple steps that made it more difficult for Afghans to receive visas. The implementation of “extreme vetting” (although refugees were already thoroughly vetted) and cuts to funding and government personnel involved in the process contributed to significant delays.

Additionally, the administration drastically cut the number of overall refugees allowed to resettle in the country. Furthermore, concerns about the safety of Afghan partners increased significantly after the Trump administration signed a February 2020 deal with the Taliban and prepared for a full US military withdrawal.

The Trump administration’s failures to protect Afghan partners as it prepared to leave Afghanistan do not absolve the Biden administration of responsibility. The Biden team was slow to raise the cap on refugees and had several months in office when it could have done more to expedite visa processing, before it took steps to do so in July — when it was largely too late.

Although the US government failed to follow through on promises to and responsibility for Afghans who worked with US forces and government agencies, many individual Americans are stepping up, through charities, religious organizations, businesses and on their own. They will provide the critical support network and hope for Afghans fleeing the Taliban who manage to start a new life in the US.