Afghan evacuees left in limbo here in the US
Veterans groups are urging Congress to act fast
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Among the 84,600 Afghan evacuees whom the U.S. government flew out of Afghanistan in August and brought to military bases across the U.S. before being resettled, many say they are struggling under a broken immigration bureaucracy, lack of government papers, documentation and delayed Social Security numbers, preventing them from working and feeding their families.
Abdullah and his wife (Courtesy of Abdullah Rahmatzada)
Abdullah Rahmatzada worked as a driver at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He and his pregnant wife made it onto one of the last military flights out of Afghanistan to Kuwait and then to Marine base Quantico in Virginia. Eventually, he was resettled in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, he has been living with about 50 Afghan families in a motel, supported by Catholic Charities, a group of U.S. veterans, and a group of local area moms in Charlotte who stepped in using their own money to help when the traditional resettlement agencies funded with U.S. taxpayer money were having trouble keeping up with the mounting demands.
"The agencies that handle those programs are overwhelmed and unable to support those needs. And so many Afghans, unfortunately, are falling through the cracks," Sean Kilbane of Save Our Allies told Fox News. Save Our Allies, a group formed by U.S. veterans last August during the evacuation, is just one of many veterans groups that are trying to help the evacuees.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abdullah and his wife in front of Greenville, S.C. hospital with newborn. Courtesy of Abdullah Rahmatzada
Unlike some of the Afghans airlifted out of Kabul, Abdullah has received a Social Security number.
"Today I started my work. I started my work at some supermarket. Its name is Harris Teeter," Abdullah told Fox News.
He's one of the lucky ones. Some have not received Social Security numbers or Employment Authorization Documents, identification cards issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
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"Many of these Afghans were issued Social Security cards that list them as ineligible for employment," explained Kilbane of Save Our Allies.
In some cases, their EAD cards were sent to military bases after the families were resettled in cities across America.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Afghan family celebrates a birthday. Courtesy of Abdullah Rahmatzada
"They've been sitting in hotel rooms or AirBNBs for months on end just simply waiting for that card to come in that says they're allowed to work," Kilbane explained.
A DHS spokesperson tells Fox News, "as of January 18th, USCIS has adjudicated employment authorization applications for more than 70,000 Afghan evacuees who went to safe havens for processing after arriving in the United States. USCIS has produced and mailed nearly 69,000 employment authorization documents."
A State Department spokesperson adds, "the vast majority of individuals resettled via OAW have received an EAD and SS card with more being mailed every day. There are some individuals whose EAD or SS card has been delayed, but we are working expeditiously to resolve issues in those cases."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Save Our Allies, says while many documents have been mailed out, some are often sent to the wrong addresses, sitting at the IOM (International Organization for Migration) headquarters in Washington DC, or show delivered on the USPS tracking but not received at the address.
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Afghan mothers feed their babies sugar water because they don't have money for food or formula, using buckets for baths in apartments where there is no running water and having to walk home from the hospital after giving birth because they can't afford a ride. These are just some of the problems being faced by some of the Afghan evacuees who were brought to the U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to veterans working for Save Our Allies, Afghans don't have proper documents because they were allowed into the U.S. not as refugees but given a special humanitarian parolee status. As a result, many are still waiting for Social Security numbers making it impossible to work and support their families. Without a Social Security number, they can't get drivers' licenses from the DMV. Without a driver’s license, they cannot take jobs as drivers, a good entry-level job here in the U.S., or Medicaid or Food Stamps.
On Dec. 6 Abdullah's wife went into labor, and he called 911.
His baby was born with a club foot, and the government-funded resettlement agency could not help get him an appointment in Charlotte for months. That’s when a Charlotte mom saw a photo of the baby’s foot and recognized the condition and used her connections at Shriner's children’s hospital in Greenville, S.C., to get the child treated right away. The North Carolina mom, who asked to remain anonymous, sought donations from "an army" of her friends and resettled Abdullah's family at an apartment in Greenville, S.C., a mile from the hospital, so that they can walk to and from appointments. Then these private good Samaritans helped Abdullah get a job at Harris Teeter, where he is now running the produce section and earning $16 per hour. The Greenville branch of World Relief, another non-profit that helps migrants, also stepped in to help.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abdullah and his wife hold their newborn. Courtesy of Abdullah Rahmatzada
Save Our Allies says The U.S. government only commits to providing support for humanitarian parolees for 90 days. It provides $1,225 per evacuee to help with those first 90 days.
Palmisciano, a former Army Ranger, described the case of an Afghan combat translator named Johnny, whom Fox News has followed on his journey to North Carolina. He was evacuated with his wife and three children and now lives in a house donated by a U.S. military veteran family, but he wants to work.
"He has had his work visa lost in the mail twice. If we did not provide financial support, if we weren't looking out for him, he literally would be on the street with no means of feeding his family," Palmisciano said. "Do we want them to become successful, productive members of American society? Or do we want them on the street? Do we want them to feel like failures?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Department of Homeland Security continues to assist resettling Afghan families. A DHS Spokesperson tells Fox that the length of time these families spend on U.S. military bases varies with no specific date to get them all resettled by.
Veterans groups are urging Congress to act to give them a temporary status and waivers to work.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We just need to support them and treat them like humans, not like cattle in a bureaucracy or just a case number," Save Our Allies’ Kilbane said.