Assist for Afghan refugees
The tens of thousands of Afghan citizens attempting to flee the country will need support and assistance in starting over in foreign lands. U.S. cities should open arms to these desperate refugees. It’s no surprise that the people of Pittsburgh are doing just that.
The heartbreaking images of the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will long be remembered: The sight of scores of Afghans clinging to or chasing an Air Force cargo plane down the Kabul airport runway, desperate to find a way on board and to escape a country now run by the Taliban. Some chose to die in a fall from the plane rather than place their fate in the hands of the new Taliban government.
Thousands who worked as interpreters and support staff for the U.S. military — at great risk to themselves and to their families — remain in hiding, caught in a maze of red tape as they await approval of their Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications. Even more who supported the U.S. and NATO-led effort in Afghanistan are hoping to receive the recently announced “Priority 2” refugee status (P-2) to leave the country. Officials estimate that as many as 80,000 people are in the exit line.
President Joe Biden has promised to airlift these supporters of the American effort out of the country, but the question then becomes where to take them and how to help them start a new life in a new country. That’s where charitable organizations and relief groups will need to take a lead role.
In Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services already has taken in one refugee family through the SIV program, and plans to welcome another soon.
A JFCS official told the Post-Gazette the goal is to help the newcomers navigate the process by settling them in Pittsburgh through partnerships with other agencies, taking them to medical providers, and helping with education and employment.
Two families is a start, but many more will certainly need help and, just as certain, Pittsburgh-area relief organizations will be there to provide it.
Meanwhile, a group at the University of Pittsburgh also is trying to help fleeing Afghans find a home in the U.S. Jennifer Murtazashvili, the director and founder of the Center for Governance and Markets at the university, has a team of volunteers working to help those who are seeking P-2 status, which applies to those who may have worked with the U.S. government but don’t meet the minimum time in-service to get an SIV. She is getting so many requests for help, her team of 10 student volunteers has now grown to 40 volunteers and counting. They are sorting through thousands of emails from desperate Afghans.
These Afghan refugees provided support for a failed American mission in their country and deserve every bit of assistance that can be rendered.
Relief organizations, churches, schools, civic groups, government — the people of big-hearted Pittsburgh — should and, we believe, will continue to rise to the occasion.