Evacuated Afghans hoping to resettle in United States face extended limbo in third countries
- Following the scramble to evacuate vulnerable Afghans, thousands of people were now waiting in ‘transit hubs’ in third countries
- The hubs included US military bases in Qatar, Germany and Italy where Afghans must overcome bureaucratic hurdles to eventually enter the US
In mid-August, Ahmad got an urgent call from his nephew, Zia, telling him to come immediately to Kabul airport to try to get on an evacuation flight.
Members of the Taliban had been to Ahmad’s house in the capital looking for Zia, who had worked with the United States military in Afghanistan. They also wanted Ahmad, who was not at home at the time, to report to the police station, Zia told him.
Ahmad, 43, worried he would be arrested or executed because of his nephew’s involvement with the US military, which flew out its last remaining troops this week in a chaotic withdrawal, formally ending a 20-year war.
Ahmad went to the airport with his wife and six children but got separated from them in the crowds at the entrance gates, he said. He showed officials a photo of his nephew’s green card on his phone and told them he was a member of his family. That was enough to get him – alone – onto a plane to the US-allied Gulf Arab state of Qatar, he said.
Following the scramble to evacuate vulnerable Afghans, thousands of people, some with no documentation or pending US visa applications, others in families with mixed immigration statuses, were now waiting in “transit hubs” in third countries. The hubs included US military bases in Qatar, Germany and Italy where Afghans must overcome bureaucratic immigration hurdles to eventually enter the United States.