August 15 marked the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan that prompted tens of thousands of Afghans to flee the country during a chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport as the remaining American troops withdrew. Refugees were flown to military bases and countries around the world while close to 80,000 Afghan evacuees relocated to the U.S. since the onset of the takeover.
Through a reporting grant, Valerie Plesch and Enrique Huaiquil travel to different U.S. cities where Afghan evacuees have been resettling and explore and chronicle challenges faced by the refugees over the last year. They are on humanitarian parole status and still have no clear path to stay.
To make matters worse, most evacuees remain separated from their loved ones, including more than 100,000 Afghans who were promised U.S. visas and are still stuck. The Biden administration has asked Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would streamline the process for visa candidates.
