At Every Step, Afghans Coming to America Encounter Stumbling Blocks

When helium was approved for a peculiar visa to immigrate to the United States, Arian Ali thought his luck was astir to change. The Taliban had taken implicit Afghanistan, but helium had a mode out.

Instead, helium remains successful limbo.

Mr. Ali, 43, qualified for the visa by moving with the U.S. authorities successful a bid of jobs during the 20-year warfare and had waited since 2014 for approval. That yet happened successful October, much than a period aft the Biden medication near Afghanistan successful a melodramatic evacuation arsenic the Taliban seized power of Kabul, the capital.

The visa could beryllium picked up astatine immoderate American embassy. But the 1 successful Kabul had unopen down and, without the visa successful hand, helium was incapable to participate immoderate of the countries helium deemed harmless capable to sojourn that had unfastened U.S. consular offices.

The time earlier Thanksgiving, migration lawyers managed to get Mr. Ali and his household connected an American charter formation to a U.S. subject basal extracurricular Doha, Qatar. Now helium is backmost to waiting — for connection connected however agelong helium volition beryllium there, and erstwhile helium volition get the visa helium needs stamped successful his passport.

“Our beingness became a joke,” Mr. Ali, who agreed to beryllium identified lone by a nickname to support household inactive successful Afghanistan, said successful a substance connection this week from a exile campy astatine Al Udeid Air Base.

“Taliban termination and U.S. authorities excessively dilatory and reluctant to help,” helium said.

More than 74,500 Afghans person been fixed support to unrecorded successful the United States, astatine slightest temporarily, successful the 4 months since the instrumentality of Taliban rule. Though they are nary longer successful contiguous danger, galore person had occupation navigating an migration strategy that U.S. officials concede was wholly unprepared to assistance them.

Thousands person stayed successful squalid camps. Others person been threatened by information forces arsenic they transit neighboring countries. Even those who person made it to the United States interest astir however they volition spend lodging and food.

In interviews, much than a half-dozen Afghans successful assorted stages of immigrating to the United States expressed profound gratitude for the assistance they received successful leaving Afghanistan. But they besides shared their vexation — echoed by migration advocates, members of Congress and adjacent Biden medication officials — with a process that has provided small clarity connected erstwhile the United States volition present connected its committedness to support those who risked their lives to enactment the American government.

“There are tons of radical who are trying to find that fortunate interruption that volition get them done a door, crossed the border, connected an airplane, get a visa, immoderate they request to conscionable get retired of the state and effort to process themselves into immoderate benignant of caller reality,” said James B. Cunningham, who served arsenic ambassador to Afghanistan from 2012 to 2014.

“Unfortunately, that’s going to proceed for a agelong time,” helium said.

Biden medication officials accidental they are trying to easiness the passage. But they person struggled with what Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken described past period arsenic a concern that “is successful truthful galore ways a analyzable communicative that I’m not definite the American radical afloat understood.”

Additionally, Congress and the White House person failed to resoluteness whether to springiness imperishable ineligible presumption to tens of thousands of Afghans who were evacuated to the United States. That means they could, successful theory, beryllium deported successful arsenic small arsenic 2 years.

“The U.S. subject and diplomatic beingness successful Afghanistan whitethorn person ended successful August,” said Sunil Varghese, the argumentation manager for the International Refugee Assistance Project, “but U.S. government’s work did not.”

Terrified successful Tajikistan

With the Taliban backmost successful power, a 36-year-old antheral who had besides worked with the U.S. authorities knew helium had to get his household retired of Afghanistan.

J.F., who agreed to beryllium identified lone by his initials for protection, spent years helping the U.S. Treasury Department prosecute wealth laundering and coercion financing cases, including against the Taliban. His parent worked for the now-defunct Ministry of Women’s Affairs, counseling victims of home violence.

He and his household hid successful Kabul for weeks successful October, past fled to neighboring Iran. From there, and with a ineligible introduction visa, they flew to Dushanbe, the Tajik capital. With a salient Afghan diaspora connected the outskirts of the city, it seemed similar the safest spot to beryllium portion helium applied for what is known arsenic “humanitarian parole” to the United States — fixed that the process indispensable beryllium completed successful a state that has a functioning U.S. embassy. Parole presumption allows Afghan refugees to unrecorded successful the United States for a fixed period, successful astir cases 2 years.

But six days aft they arrived successful Dushanbe successful aboriginal November, information guards knocked connected the doorway of the family’s flat and took their passports. When helium went to the agents’ bureau the adjacent day, they refused to instrumentality the documents and said the household would beryllium sent backmost to Afghanistan.

Were that to happen, Mr. F. said, the Taliban “will not fto america live.”

Requests for assistance from a radical of Americans who worked with Mr. F. successful Kabul person bounced betwixt Congress, the State Department, Treasury and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services without solution — oregon adjacent overmuch of an explanation.

“Treasury’s hands are beauteous overmuch tied,” a Treasury authoritative said successful a Nov. 5 email connected the substance that was shared with The New York Times.

“Our bureau volition beryllium blessed to assistance the household erstwhile U.S.C.I.S. approves their parole request,” the U.S. Embassy successful Dushanbe responded successful a Nov. 11 email.

In an email dated Nov. 12, an adjutant to Senator Todd Young, Republican of Indiana, besides suggested that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services needed to determination archetypal but noted that processing the requests would “likely instrumentality respective months.”

Only astir 135 of the 28,000 applications from Afghans seeking humanitarian parole person been approved since July 1, according to the agency, which usually receives less than 2,000 applications from astir the satellite each year.

A spokeswoman astatine U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would not verify Mr. F’s case, citing privateness concerns, but said successful a connection that the bureau was prepared to invited much Afghans implicit the coming months.

Mr. F. managed to retrieve his family’s passports but is surviving successful Dushanbe connected a short-term visa that expires each month, with nary warrant that it volition beryllium renewed.

If it is not, helium and his household volition beryllium deported.

“I didn’t expect to get it easily,” helium said of support to travel to the United States, “but it’s excessively difficult.”

One of his erstwhile colleagues, John Kimbler, the main enforcement of California-based Paradigm Applications, is mystified by the web of bureaucracy.

“He’s safer present than helium was before, but it seems similar determination should beryllium a mode to determination him connected to unafraid that safety,” Mr. Kimbler said.

Dwindling Patience successful Qatar

Mursal Nazar considered herself fortunate. She was evacuated to the campy astatine Al Udeid Air Base connected a U.S. subject formation connected Aug. 25 — 1 time earlier an Islamic State termination bomber killed scores of Afghans and 13 American troops astatine the aforesaid gross wherever she had been waiting to beryllium fto into the Kabul airport.

But the three-hour formation turned into a 11-hour ordeal arsenic the hundreds of passengers, packed tightly successful the sweltering cabin, underwent information and information checks aft they landed.

At the time, the campy was truthful unprepared for the much than 60,000 Afghans who would transit done Qatar that adjacent the Pentagon reported “some unspeakable sanitation conditions” there.

“We didn’t person due toilets to use,” said Ms. Nazar, 31. “We didn’t person places to spell and instrumentality a ablution and places for women, who request privacy, to spell and alteration their clothes. They enactment men and women sleeping nether the aforesaid structure — antithetic kinds of people, from antithetic cultures and antithetic beliefs. That was a occupation for us.”

After a 10-day wait, Ms. Nazar and her hubby near for the United States.

Officials said conditions had vastly improved astatine Al Udeid, which continues to location thousands of Afghans connected their mode to the United States.

During the evacuation, a twelve overseas transit hubs, oregon “lily pads,” housed thousands of Afghans. But concerns astir a semipermanent strain connected Pentagon resources and readiness person led to the closure of each but 3 of the sites: Al Udeid, 1 successful Kosovo and a immense tract of tents known arsenic Humanitarian City successful the United Arab Emirates. Officials said determination were astatine slightest 2,900 Afghans — the fig often changes — astatine the 3 bases waiting to travel to the United States.

The big governments person besides raised concerns astir allowing successful thousands of radical who American officials person said whitethorn not person been afloat vetted earlier they were flown retired of Afghanistan.

Qatar precocious banned Afghans who don’t person passports oregon different government-approved credentials, though determination whitethorn beryllium exceptions, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the country’s apical diplomat, said successful Washington past month.

For information reasons, “it’s precise important to marque definite that the close radical are evacuated,” helium said.

Mr. Ali is among astatine slightest 28,000 Afghans who person been identified arsenic qualifying for the special migrant visa due to the fact that of their enactment for the U.S. government. The State Department says it has issued 8,200 of the visas since past January, and hopes to bring retired astatine slightest 1,000 much from Afghanistan each period done adjacent September, though that extremity whitethorn beryllium particularly hard to scope successful the wintertime and with Kabul’s airdrome successful disarray.

But a yearslong hold successful processing the visas has enraged subject veterans and others who served successful Afghanistan, and go a uncommon root of unity wrong a Congress that has been divided to the constituent of paralysis connected different aspects of immigration.

“The United States pledged to enactment those who served our ngo successful Afghanistan,” Senators Jim Risch of Idaho, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rob Portman of Ohio, each Republicans, wrote successful an Oct. 21 letter to request an probe into the delays. “Failing to bash truthful would pb allies and adversaries alike to telephone into question our reliability and credibility arsenic a spouse successful aboriginal conflicts.”

Mr. Blinken has noted that the State Department, which issues the visas aft they person been vetted by the Homeland Security Department, inherited a backlog of 17,000 applications erstwhile President Biden took bureau successful January. Consular officers were processing astir 100 peculiar migrant visas each week past wintertime but astir 1,000 arsenic Mr. Biden’s deadline for ending the warfare approached successful August.

Mr. Ali was eligible for a visa done his enactment since 2003 for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, advocacy groups and the fledgling Afghan government.

“I’m arrogant of the enactment I did with the United States,” helium said. “But I don’t recognize however the U.S. authorities could wantonness its allies.”

Stressed successful the United States

Ms. Nazar applied for a peculiar migrant visa past twelvemonth arsenic the Taliban seized territory crossed Afghanistan and the U.S. subject prepared to leave. It had not been approved by the clip she was evacuated to the campy successful Qatar successful August, however, and she entered the United States connected humanitarian parole that required her to unrecorded connected a National Guard basal successful Indiana arsenic she waited for exile resettlement officials to instrumentality her case.

She arrived astatine Camp Atterbury, southbound of Indianapolis, earlier dawn connected Sept. 6, and was struck by the expanse of greenish fields and caller air. “I was relieved that yet I was determination I tin beryllium relaxed,” she said.

It did not past long. The messiness halls ran retired of nutrient successful the aboriginal days. Base officials struggled to way the Afghans; arsenic precocious arsenic mid-November, a subject nationalist affairs serviceman insisted that Ms. Nazar had already near Camp Atterbury adjacent though she had not.

Worst of each was the nagging anxiousness of erstwhile they mightiness determination them disconnected basal and into homes.

“When we asked the aforesaid question, like, ‘How agelong is it going to take? On what ground are you going fto these families to beryllium resettled from here?’ they say, ‘We don’t person immoderate reply for your questions — you conscionable person to hold for your turn, and whenever it comes, we volition telephone you,” Ms. Nazar said past month.

Her crook yet came Thanksgiving week, erstwhile she moved into a impermanent flat successful Bayonne, N.J. “Things are going well,” she said recently, though she is waiting for enactment authorization and different documents.

Resettlement agencies person helped spot astir 38,000 Afghans successful American communities since August.

Tens of thousands of Afghans are inactive waiting connected 7 subject bases successful the United States. But a exile campy astatine Fort Lee, Va., was shuttered connected Nov. 17, and officials said 1 successful Quantico, Va., would apt beryllium next.

“The astir important happening we tin bash is enactment radical connected the way to self-sufficiency arsenic rapidly arsenic we can,” Jack Markell, the erstwhile politician of Delaware and the coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome, the White House resettlement process for evacuated Afghans, said successful an interrogation past month.

As galore arsenic 4,000 Afghans are moved from the camps and resettled each week, and “this is an effort that volition continue,” Mr. Markell said.

He acknowledged Afghans’ frustration, and said officials person tried to reply much of their questions successful caller weeks. “If we were successful their shoes, we’d privation the aforesaid thing,” Mr. Markell said. “We’d each privation to know, arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, wherever we’re going to beryllium gathering our caller lives.”

Refugee agencies person been overwhelmed with caring for Afghan families who are moved into American communities. A household of 10, including a newborn baby, had nary wealth and nary benefits erstwhile they were settled extracurricular Washington D.C. and depended connected market deliveries from the Muslim Association of Virginia. In Houston, immoderate Afghans person been placed successful crime-ridden neighborhoods and are surviving successful apartments with dilapidated toilets oregon achromatic mold successful bathrooms, and are salvaging supplies from rubbish heaps oregon borrowing from neighbors.

“There are large women who person slept connected hard floors with nary blankets, nary mattress,” said Shekeba Morrad, an Afghan-American assemblage organizer successful Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia, who works with a nationwide radical trying to show the concern of the recently arrived Afghans.

Hamid Wahidy, 34, and his household made it to the campy astatine Quantico via a way that archetypal took them to Qatar, Germany and Dulles International Airport extracurricular Washington. They stayed astatine the campy for 40 days earlier moving into a tiny Airbnb successful San Diego. The archetypal period determination was a blur of bureaucratic shuffling to person his Social Security card, which helium needed to unfastened a slope account, get a driver’s license, use for a occupation and enroll his kids successful school.

A fewer weeks later, helium moved into a larger home. It outgo him $3,400 — for 1 month’s rent and a information deposit — of the $5,000 the household received from a resettlement agency. He did not instantly person nutrient stamps and different benefits that helium had expected nether a spending measure that Congress passed successful September that included $6.3 cardinal successful expanded assistance to the arriving Afghans.

The authorities besides did not see an expedited process for ineligible residency for Mr. Wahidy and different Afghans. Without it, migration advocates say, they could yet beryllium deported.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, noted that the Afghan refugees had already undergone inheritance checks and different information screening, and suggested they could capable occupation vacancies created by the pandemic.

“This is not lone the close happening to bash — it volition enrich our communities and fortify our economy,” said Ms. Klobuchar, who is among those pushing for the Afghans to beryllium fixed “a wide way to stay present arsenic lawful imperishable residents.”

Mr. Wahidy described his family’s travel retired of Kabul successful August — including crawling done a fetid canal to drawback the attraction of an American worker lasting defender astatine the airdrome — arsenic “very difficult.”

In San Diego, helium has relied connected donations. He is inactive trying to judge that his beingness volition ne'er beryllium what it was successful Afghanistan earlier the Taliban took implicit — “a bully beingness successful our ain country,” helium said wistfully.

“We had a occupation there, we could grip our family, our mean life,” Mr. Wahidy said, exhaling deeply. “But here, it is 180 degrees change.”

“It’s not clear, our future,” helium said. “What volition hap to us, I don’t know.”

Alissa J. Rubin contributed reporting.