Afghan Crisis Response

United States

HIAS is resettling Afghan refugees and SIVs as well as Afghan humanitarian parolees in the U.S. We serve arrivals and work with local resettlement partners to take more people into their communities.

Resettling so many people in a short period of time was unprecedented in recent history and strained the U.S. resettlement system, so a solution known as Sponsor Circles was pioneered across the United States. HIAS launched a new initiative, HIAS Welcome Circles, and helped resettle thousands of Afghan refugees in communities across the country. HIAS also set up emergency funds for housing, food, and technology needs and expanded employment and mental health programming for these groups.

HIAS attorneys helped many Afghans with the free preparation of humanitarian parole applications, as well as provided pro bono services to refugees such as case management and legal clinics.

HIAS advocated for Afghans with members of Congress and the administration, and we have held multiple briefings with Capitol Hill staff, NGO partners, and community partners. We continue to engage the American Jewish community and other communities, send out advocacy actions, and hold emergency briefing calls.

International Response

The situation inside Afghanistan remains highly unstable. According to the United Nations, nearly half of the population requires humanitarian aid. HIAS is monitoring conditions in the region and considering opportunities to assist through partner organizations. HIAS partners with Airbnb to connect displaced people in need of temporary housing such as Airbnb which provided housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees globally. Also:

• HIAS Mexico has supported a total of 230 Afghans through comprehensive programming and services including arranging temporary housing, COVID-19 testing, mental health services, medical testing, and food supplies. HIAS Mexico staff assisted 114 Afghan workers for the New York Times and their families who were evacuated to Mexico City. Other groups receiving assistance include Wall Street Journal staff and Afghan doctors who worked for the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• HIAS Europe has partnered with the European Council for Jewish Communities to launch a campaign to support many projects and initiatives benefiting the Afghans affected by the humanitarian crisis. HIAS and ECJC helped provide essentials such as housing, food, language support, job mentoring, and mental health counseling. HIAS Europe also signed onto a joint statement of the European Council for Refugees and Exiles, calling for rapid access to fair asylum procedures for Afghans in Europe as well as a scaling up of coordinated humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.