The Biden administration’s plan to resettle tens of thousands of people Afghan refugees it faces formidable legal and operational challenges, with issues ranging from the uncertain immigration status of many evacuees, to limited social resources and permanent housing for newcomers.
Thousands of Afghans at risk arrive in the United States without approved visas, placing them at a legal limit and making them ineligible for some federal social programs available to those admitted as refugees, including cash assistance and Medicaid.
The sharp rise in Afghan affiliate admissions in recent days has also strained the resources of the nine U.S. national refugee resettlement agencies, forcing them to house some refugees in Airbnb hotels and rentals while they stay. find affordable apartments, three resettlement officials told CBS News. .
Since mid-August, the United States has admitted approximately 24,000 Afghans who evacuated from Kabul this summer before the U.S. withdrawal. As of Thursday morning, more than 20,000 of them were housed in eight military locations that have been chosen to house them temporarily, according to internal federal data reviewed by CBS News.
Another 39,000 people evacuated remained at military bases in Europe and the Middle East, including Afghans subjected to U.S. immigration processes and security tests, according to federal data.
The mass relocation operation, on a scale not seen since the U.S. evacuated tens of thousands of refugees from Vietnam in 1975, is testing the government’s refugee resettlement system, which is not equipped to deal with a sudden influx of evacuees. It has also prompted resettlement agencies to make a Herculean effort to recruit volunteers and solicit donations.
“This is a very traumatized population that comes from a crazy and chaotic evacuation system and will be put in a place where they basically stand up for themselves unless the agencies are able to mobilize private support to make it work.” , Erol Kekic, senior vice president of Church World Service, one of the leading resettlement agencies, told CBS News.
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Some Afghans who helped the U.S. war effort as translators and other functions arrive with special immigrant visas (SIVs), which allow them to become green card holders or permanent residents upon arrival in the U.S. . But many of the evacuees have pending SIV applications lacking immigration applications, prompting U.S. officials to authorize their entry through a humanitarian tool known as parole.
The conditional release designation allows beneficiaries to remain and work temporarily in the United States, but does not provide a direct route to permanent residence or access to certain federal programs designed to help newcomers integrate into American society. , including supplemental security income, food stamps, employment assistance, and medical services.
To address these exclusions, the State Department is launching an “Afghan Parole Support Program,” which will help Afghan parolees with housing, transportation, food, cash, clothing, legal advice and more. services, according to several resettlement officials involved in the effort.
Resettlement agencies are expected to receive $ 2,275 for each Afghan parole they serve. However, parolees will only have access to the makeshift program for up to 90 days, so refugee advocates are urging lawmakers to adopt a legislative solution.
Congressmen Seth Moulton and Don Bacon, a bipartisan pair of former military officers, plan to introduce a bill on Friday known as the WELCOME Act that would allow Afghan parolees to benefit from the same government benefits that traditional refugees receive, according to two Congressional officials told CBS News. .
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office also plans to create an ad hoc program to temporarily cover medical services for people on parole, two resettlement officials said.
Parolees who do not meet the requirements to obtain special immigrant visas will also need lawyers to secure other forms of permanent status, such as asylum or family-based green cards, those officials said.
Those who were persecuted in Afghanistan or who fear being persecuted if they returned could meet the legal asylum threshold, but their cases could take years to stand trial, as there are 403,000 pending applications before the asylum seekers. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
It is unclear what will happen to Afghans whose applications are rejected. Although they would technically be subject to deportation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not conducted any deportation flights to Afghanistan since late 2020, an agency official told CBS News.
“Our asylum process doesn’t exactly have additional capacity for tens of thousands of new asylum applications,” said Matthew Soerens, the church’s mobilization director for World Relief, one of the national agencies for resettlement. “And what do you do with someone who received parole from Afghanistan who is unable to gather evidence to prove that he meets the asylum requirements? Will that person be returned to the Taliban?”
To avoid this scenario and avoid the backward asylum pipeline, advocates are calling on Congress to establish a special legalization program for Afghan evacuees. Such a program, according to proponents, could resemble the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, which allows Cuban immigrants who were legally admitted to apply for green cards after a year in the U.S.
A Biden administration official told CBS News that there are “ongoing” talks on long-term plans to ensure that Afghan evacuees “have the kind of status in the United States that will facilitate the resumption of occupation , continued presence (and) continued integration into their new American communities, “including a legislative appeal.
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Most Afghans transferred to the United States are transferred to eight military facilities, where they undergo COVID-19 testing, vaccination, medical checks, and additional immigration processes, including work permit applications.
According to a National Security Department document obtained by CBS News, Afghan evacuees are required to receive vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella, polio and coronavirus within seven days of being granted parole. They should also be tested for tuberculosis.
If they fail to comply with the requirements, which also include notifying U.S. authorities of changes of address and providing them with the information they request, Afghans could be deprived of parole and subject to “detention and expulsion” from the United States, according to the document.
Once processed at military sites, Afghan evacuees are connected to resettlement agencies, which are tasked with helping them find affordable housing and jobs. Typically, agencies help cover the rent of refugees for up to three months while they are settling down.
Resettlement officials said they have found “enormous” difficulties in trying to find permanent residences for evacuated Afghans, many of whom tend to move to communities with large Afghan populations, including Northern California, the Dallas area and the northern Virginia, who have limited affordable housing.
Along with the growing pace of refugee admissions, limited housing options have caused resettlement agencies to work with hotel chains to ensure short-term accommodation.
“If you have 80 people a day, your chances of getting apartments for so many people are probably not very high,” said Kekic, vice president of World Church Service.
Soerens, the global assistance official, said his group has also used hotels to house some of the more than 360 special visa holders of Afghan immigrants he received in August, including those with large families.
“We are used to receiving a few weeks’ notice of refugee arrivals and then we have created a team of volunteers who can install the apartments. Right now, we sometimes get a few hours in advance,” Soerens added.