Afghan Refugees Deserve Our Assistance and Support 

SILVER SPRING, MD – During the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that concluded in late August of 2021, over 76,000 Afghans, many of whom had worked closely with the American government, were evacuated to the United States. But thousands more unable to escape at the time have faced arduous journeys attempting to reach the United States — and to obtain legal status once they arrived.

Three years later, HIAS, the world’s oldest refugee aid organization, continues to provide extensive resettlement support and legal assistance to hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers struggling to find safety and stability in the United States. 

“As we mark three years since the withdrawal and over two decades since the U.S. first went into Afghanistan, we cannot lose sight of the thousands of Afghan refugees who continue to face immense challenges and legal limbo despite their assistance to our country,” said Naomi Steinberg, HIAS’ vice president of U.S. policy and advocacy.

 In 2021, HIAS launched “Welcome Circles” — private sponsorships allowing for groups of individuals to independently raise funds and directly provide essential assistance to refugees — to aid displaced Afghans. Three years later, over 30 Welcome Circles have helped Afghan families in the U.S., and there are over 100 helping all refugee communities nationwide. 

HIAS also continues to provide legal assistance to Afghan refugees navigating the difficult asylum process. Across the U.S., there is a shortage of free or low-cost legal representation available to asylum seekers. For Afghans, this shortage is compounded by inadequate funding devoted to their cases and too few lawyers and interpreters who can communicate with clients in Dari or Pashto. 

HIAS is one of only a few organizations in the Washington, D.C. area with funding to provide services to such clients — the demand for such services nationwide vastly exceeds current capacity. Shayan Davoudi, a lawyer for HIAS, recently helped one Afghan refugee and his family secure asylum in the U.S. after three years of uncertainty.

Naomi Steinberg, Shayan Davoudi and other HIAS experts are available for interviews to discuss the status of the Afghan refugee and asylum-seeker community, and HIAS’ ongoing work to help resettle and assist them.