{"id":127668,"date":"2023-08-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/22\/nearly-two-years-later-afghan-allies-still-left-hoping-for-help\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:51:17","slug":"nearly-two-years-later-afghan-allies-still-left-hoping-for-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/home\/2023\/08\/22\/nearly-two-years-later-afghan-allies-still-left-hoping-for-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly two years later, Afghan allies still left hoping for help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the second anniversary of the American military exit from Afghanistan<\/a> fast approaching, advocates worry they are running out of time to address the plight of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees <\/a>who remain stuck in immigration limbo as the issue fades out of public consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and veterans groups<\/a> plan a major push on the issue this fall, but prospects for meaningful progress on the issue remain dim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to get something done, because our allies in Afghanistan, our partners there are relying on us,\u201d said Rep. Jason Crow<\/a>, D-Colo. and an Army veteran who has been leading the issue for the last few years. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t panned out so far, but we\u2019re gonna keep pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days before the last U.S. troops departed Afghanistan<\/a> on Aug. 30, 2021, more than 80,000 Afghan refugees were rushed out of the country aboard American aircraft in an effort to protect them from advancing Taliban forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some advocacy groups estimate as many as 150,000 Afghans that assisted the U.S. mission were left behind, including individuals who worked closely with U.S. military forces as interpreters and combat assistants. Thousands have State Department visa applications that have been pending for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And individuals who managed to escape still live with chronic uncertainty about their legal status and looming fears of deportation, because procedures for resolving their lingering immigration applications still have not been finalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Afghans airlifted to the U.S. during the late summer and early fall of 2021 were granted \u201chumanitarian parole,\u201d a tenuous, temporary authorization to reside in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parolee status, which enables Afghans to apply for employment authorization and other government benefits, expires after two years for most evacuees. Those attempting to reauthorize their parole <\/a>or secure lawful permanent residence through the SIV or asylum process must navigate a labyrinth of paperwork and bureaucratic backlogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without clarity on their future, advocates worry, some individuals could lose their jobs or, at worst, face deportation to foreign countries in coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a constant fear that they\u2019ll have to face the Taliban again,\u201d said Safi Rauf, an Afghan citizen and U.S. Navy reservist who founded the Human First Coalition, which works to evacuate refugees from Afghanistan. \u201cThere\u2019s not a day that goes by that these [refugees] don\u2019t think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t