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Afghan immigrants resettling in the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Visa program have found a home in Colorado, but many still wait in Afghanistan.

The program, launched in 2009, was created by Congress to provide permanent protection to Afghans affiliated with U.S. missions such as translators and interpreters as well as their families.

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat who served as an Army ranger in Afghanistan, is advocating that Afghan nationals abroad have better access to special immigrant visas.

In June, he introduced the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2023, a bill that would increase the number of Afghan special immigrant visas available, authorizing an additional 20,000 visas. It would also create a more streamlined pathway for processing the visas.

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The processing of the visas has been plagued with backlogs, leaving many individuals who would be eligible for an SIV still in Afghanistan, according to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps refugees resettle in the United States.

The U.S. officiallypulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving the Taliban to fill a power vacuum and putting many U.S. allies in the country in danger. The U.S. evacuated over 124,000 people from Kabul before leaving.

In Colorado, there are 3,700 Afghan refugees currently enrolled in the states Refugee Services Program. Afghans make up about 40% of all individuals enrolled in the program. Of that, there are about 1,000 Afghans on the SIV program.

Reza Rezayee came to the U.S. on an SIV late last year after working as a logistics specialist for OT Training Solutions, a U.S. company that provides training and educational services to the military and other international organizations.

It was a long process for Rezayee. He said he applied for the program at the end of 2020, and received his SIV approval in August 2021. During his time waiting, he fled to Pakistan and waited there for eight months for an interview and final approval before coming to Colorado.

It is hard, I had to move from my home at midnight and I didnt tell anyone I was moving to Pakistan, it was only goodbye with my own family, Rezayee said.

His family is still in Afghanistan, along with some colleagues from when he worked with OT Training Solutions.

He said most of his colleagues were able to get a SIV, but a little less than half are still waiting either in Afghanistan or other places like Pakistan. Most of the people who are there, they are left there, they are in danger there, they are not safe, Rezayee said.

Foreign Policy reported in March that the Biden Administration estimates over 150,000 Afghans eligible for the SIV are trying to escape.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing.

Reza Rezayee, who came to the U.S. on a special immigrant visa

Homayoon Milad, a community sponsorship coordinator with the International Rescue Committee in Denver and an Afghan SIV refugee himself, said he thinks it may take about 30 years to evacuate everyone eligible for an SIV out of Afghanistan.

Crow told Newsline that his proposed legislation would try to fix some of the backlog issues Afghan applicants are facing, including barriers to the medical exams and interviews necessary for the SIV application.

He said many people cant afford the cost of the medical exam, which often could take $1,000 or more to complete. The other barrier is securing an interview, which has to be in person. But, the Afghan Protection Act would provide remote processing for interviews.

They have to know that our handshake will matter, and thats what this bill is about, is keeping that promise that will be made to them for decades in bringing them and their families to safety, Crow said to Newsline.

Getting to the U.S. is only part of the hardship resettling, finding work and adjusting to a new life is another mountain of challenges. The federal government allocates funds for 90 days a refugee enters Colorado to help start the resettlement process. Several non-governmental organizations also work to ease that process by providing monthslong and yearslong support programs.

For Rezayee, the African Community Center in Aurora helped him. He said it took about two months to find work, and he now works as a maintenance engineer. The organization was able to help Rezayee for about four months, and then his livelihood was up to him.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing. You may be someone who has good wealth or good work in your (home) country, but here you start from zero, Rezayee said.

Crow and other advocacy organizations are working not only to extend SIVs and get Afghans to safety in the U.S., but also provide a better pathway to citizenship for many who came here on parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

That is what the Afghan Adjustment Act, which failed in Congress in 2022, would have done. The legislation was reintroduced July 14.

Crow said he does not expect to face pushback on this legislation, because there is bipartisan support and in the past, members on both sides of the aisle supported legislation aimed to help U.S. allies in Afghanistan.

Once arrived in Colorado, refugees are supported by resettlement organizations, like IRC, that aid in finding housing and work and navigating legal issues.

Two distinct populations have settled in the U.S. from Afghanistan under the SIV program, according Milad. The first population to receive the SIV program when it launched in 2009 were typically people with higher education who worked as interpreters.The new population applying for the program after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan leaving thousands of Afghans under the rule of the Taliban are many who fought alongside the American military and havent had the same education. So, adjustment and resettlement can be much more difficult.

Milad said a misconception that harms the refugee community in the U.S. is that they are a liability to the state. He said in his work he sees that when refugees resettle they seek jobs and find ways to stand on their own feet.

I will say that refugees and immigrants are not liabilities to them, todays state government to the federal government, theyre an asset, Milad said.

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Two years after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, many allies still in ... - Colorado Newsline