Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey: The former interpreter for the US military considers himself lucky as an Afghan who managed to make it through the frantic crowd outside. Kabul Airport Little more than a cloth on his back to board a military evacuation flight out of the country.
Esrar Ahmed Saber, along with 11,000 other Afghans, now wait from the safety of a US base in central New Jersey, while worrying about family members and enduring a lengthy rehabilitation process.
Saber has been at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in central New Jersey since August 26, as nearly everyone in one of the three “villages” established there for refugees. “They want to move to their new homes and start their new lives,” the 29-year-old said. “They’re really excited about it. But the fact is, the process is very slow.”
Slow speed has become the biggest defining feature of Operation Alliance Welcome US refugee resettlement effort in decades. Despite the arrival of the Afghans, thousands remain in limbo, worried about their future as they fearfully follow the news Taliban Retribution And economic collapse back to his homeland.
Operation Allies Welcome reached a milestone this week as the number of resettlements in American communities – 37,000 – at six bases across the country surpassed 35,000. But those involved with the effort readily admit that it has been a challenge for a number of reasons, including a lack of affordable housing, cut backing. refugee program The massive numbers of refugees under Trump as well.
“It’s a blow to the system because we haven’t had so many people come in at the same time in a really, really long period of time,” said Errol Kekic, a senior vice president at Church World Service. Agencies working with the government are formally known as Operation Sahyog Swagat.
Resettlement organizations and the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency leading the effort, are working toward a goal of getting everyone out of the bases by February 15. The New Jersey setting now hosts the largest number, down from a high of 14,500, followed by Fort McCoy in Wisconsin with 7,500.
There are 3,200 more at foreign transit points waiting for flights to the US and some are still making it out of Afghanistan.
“I feel really good about our chances of getting everyone off base before that day,” Kekic said. “Whether or not we’ll get there by February 15, I guess that remains to be seen.”
The government last week organized a guided tour for journalists of the New Jersey setting, where refugees live in brick buildings that formerly served as barracks or in giant tent-like prefabricated structures.
There are football fields, basketball courts and cavernous warehouses where refugees get clothing and other supplies. There are also classes for children, who make up about 40% of the population, as well as language lessons and job training for adults, and a medical clinic.
Afghans living at the base undergo immigration processing as well as health checks and vaccinations, including COVID-19, More than 100 babies have been born to women on Aadhaar.
Saber, who came from Afghanistan alone and left behind a brother and sister, says the refugees are happy, just eager to move on. “It’s a dream to be here. They just want to get out as soon as possible.”
Refugees also include new arrivals. Microbiologist Ghulam Ishaan Sharifi arrived in Qatar 23 days later with his wife and two children on 14 November. He was relieved, but worried about his adult daughters in Kabul, who had previously held government jobs. Taliban Returned.
“They don’t have a job anymore. They can’t even go out, so we are definitely afraid of what will happen to them,” Sharifi said. “We are hoping that God will solve the problem.”
He said he hopes to settle in the Denver area, but doesn’t yet know when or if that will happen. “This is just the beginning for us,” he said.
Many refugees are also recovering from what was meant by many painful exodus from a country that collapsed much faster than the US government, at least publicly, anticipated.
“Most, if not all of them have served with our forces and have been part of the American effort in some way or the other,” said Air Force Colonel Suleiman Rachel, who is with his family as a refugee from Afghanistan. had come to America. Was a teenager and is on a temporary assignment working with refugees at the base. “So, it’s very painful. It is very hard for them.”
Rachel said she can appreciate the challenges new arrivals will face as their own parents faced similar people, including having to take lower-level jobs than they were accustomed to coming back to Afghanistan. This included being forced so that they could support their families and the children could go to school. ,
He may also understand why so many refugees want to move to areas where there are established Afghan communities – particularly Northern California, Washington, D.C., the region and Houston – even though those requests are affecting resettlement efforts there and contributing to the delay.
Given the extent of the challenge, agencies have sought help beyond groups that typically work with refugees, including veteran groups and even local sports clubs to sponsor families. be able to help. Resettlement officials say it could be easier if the entire process was moved to a US territory such as Guam, which has been used for that purpose in the past, or if to prepare in advance for their arrival. have more time
Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, one of the nine rehabilitation organizations, said, “This thing should have been planned before the withdrawal was announced. OK? So in that sense, it’s going to take longer than that.” “But given that the U.S. refugee program’s capacity has dwindled over the past four years, they decided to plan for it after they made the decision to withdraw, none of this is surprising.”
While refugees receive temporary assistance after resettlement, most are expected to achieve self-reliance. This proves difficult when many people do not speak English well, have academic credentials that would not be recognized in the US, and lack the necessary job and credit history.
Saber said he hopes his experience as a military interpreter will allow him to join the military. He recently learned that he will be resettling in Phoenix, but has no idea when he will leave. “I’m just waiting for a flight.”
Esrar Ahmed Saber, along with 11,000 other Afghans, now wait from the safety of a US base in central New Jersey, while worrying about family members and enduring a lengthy rehabilitation process.
Saber has been at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in central New Jersey since August 26, as nearly everyone in one of the three “villages” established there for refugees. “They want to move to their new homes and start their new lives,” the 29-year-old said. “They’re really excited about it. But the fact is, the process is very slow.”
Slow speed has become the biggest defining feature of Operation Alliance Welcome US refugee resettlement effort in decades. Despite the arrival of the Afghans, thousands remain in limbo, worried about their future as they fearfully follow the news Taliban Retribution And economic collapse back to his homeland.
Operation Allies Welcome reached a milestone this week as the number of resettlements in American communities – 37,000 – at six bases across the country surpassed 35,000. But those involved with the effort readily admit that it has been a challenge for a number of reasons, including a lack of affordable housing, cut backing. refugee program The massive numbers of refugees under Trump as well.
“It’s a blow to the system because we haven’t had so many people come in at the same time in a really, really long period of time,” said Errol Kekic, a senior vice president at Church World Service. Agencies working with the government are formally known as Operation Sahyog Swagat.
Resettlement organizations and the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency leading the effort, are working toward a goal of getting everyone out of the bases by February 15. The New Jersey setting now hosts the largest number, down from a high of 14,500, followed by Fort McCoy in Wisconsin with 7,500.
There are 3,200 more at foreign transit points waiting for flights to the US and some are still making it out of Afghanistan.
“I feel really good about our chances of getting everyone off base before that day,” Kekic said. “Whether or not we’ll get there by February 15, I guess that remains to be seen.”
The government last week organized a guided tour for journalists of the New Jersey setting, where refugees live in brick buildings that formerly served as barracks or in giant tent-like prefabricated structures.
There are football fields, basketball courts and cavernous warehouses where refugees get clothing and other supplies. There are also classes for children, who make up about 40% of the population, as well as language lessons and job training for adults, and a medical clinic.
Afghans living at the base undergo immigration processing as well as health checks and vaccinations, including COVID-19, More than 100 babies have been born to women on Aadhaar.
Saber, who came from Afghanistan alone and left behind a brother and sister, says the refugees are happy, just eager to move on. “It’s a dream to be here. They just want to get out as soon as possible.”
Refugees also include new arrivals. Microbiologist Ghulam Ishaan Sharifi arrived in Qatar 23 days later with his wife and two children on 14 November. He was relieved, but worried about his adult daughters in Kabul, who had previously held government jobs. Taliban Returned.
“They don’t have a job anymore. They can’t even go out, so we are definitely afraid of what will happen to them,” Sharifi said. “We are hoping that God will solve the problem.”
He said he hopes to settle in the Denver area, but doesn’t yet know when or if that will happen. “This is just the beginning for us,” he said.
Many refugees are also recovering from what was meant by many painful exodus from a country that collapsed much faster than the US government, at least publicly, anticipated.
“Most, if not all of them have served with our forces and have been part of the American effort in some way or the other,” said Air Force Colonel Suleiman Rachel, who is with his family as a refugee from Afghanistan. had come to America. Was a teenager and is on a temporary assignment working with refugees at the base. “So, it’s very painful. It is very hard for them.”
Rachel said she can appreciate the challenges new arrivals will face as their own parents faced similar people, including having to take lower-level jobs than they were accustomed to coming back to Afghanistan. This included being forced so that they could support their families and the children could go to school. ,
He may also understand why so many refugees want to move to areas where there are established Afghan communities – particularly Northern California, Washington, D.C., the region and Houston – even though those requests are affecting resettlement efforts there and contributing to the delay.
Given the extent of the challenge, agencies have sought help beyond groups that typically work with refugees, including veteran groups and even local sports clubs to sponsor families. be able to help. Resettlement officials say it could be easier if the entire process was moved to a US territory such as Guam, which has been used for that purpose in the past, or if to prepare in advance for their arrival. have more time
Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, one of the nine rehabilitation organizations, said, “This thing should have been planned before the withdrawal was announced. OK? So in that sense, it’s going to take longer than that.” “But given that the U.S. refugee program’s capacity has dwindled over the past four years, they decided to plan for it after they made the decision to withdraw, none of this is surprising.”
While refugees receive temporary assistance after resettlement, most are expected to achieve self-reliance. This proves difficult when many people do not speak English well, have academic credentials that would not be recognized in the US, and lack the necessary job and credit history.
Saber said he hopes his experience as a military interpreter will allow him to join the military. He recently learned that he will be resettling in Phoenix, but has no idea when he will leave. “I’m just waiting for a flight.”
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