Hassani said she boarded a plane to America with just the clothes on her back and the fear that her family would not be able to escape Kabul, Afghanistan, as she had.
“We didn’t know what to do; our information was exposed to the Taliban—all we could think was get out or die,” Hassani said.
Hassani was serving on a tactical team in Kabul. She was among the 3% of Afghan war allies who were evacuated from Kabul after the Taliban seized the capital and President Biden ordered the evacuation of all U.S. troops in 2021. At least 152,000 people were left behind, including Hassani’s family.
“My family is still looking for permanent shelter,” said Hassani. “They are constantly moving around—and I maybe can never go home now.”
After arriving in the United States, Hassani stayed with others who fled in New Jersey for about a year. She landed a job selling purses 30 miles outside New York.
“I was granted asylum so I can’t apply for my citizenship for at least five years, and my family—I don’t know if America is doing anything about all the people who are still in danger in my country.”
Grantee Ashonti Ford traveled to New York to meet Hassani and report on her experience. Ford also met with several members of Congress to ask how lawmakers are making good on the promises America made to its Afghan war allies.
