Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Monday marks a year since the Taliban invaded and took control of Kabul during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The attack prompted thousands of people to evacuate the war-torn country and resettle in other parts of the world.
The Department of Homeland Security reports that since then, about 81,000 Afghan refugees have been brought to the United States. Amana Refugee Services It is estimated that about 8,000 have moved to the greater Houston area.
Hossein Mohammadi is one of them. He said he would never forget August 15, 2021, as the day that changed his life forever, tearing up everything he knew and loved.
“It was a dark day. It was a very bad day in the history of Afghanistan. My family members were separated everywhere. Two of us came to the USA. Some went to Iran, Pakistan or anywhere else in Afghanistan,” Mohammadi said.
“I really miss them. When I think about the people who are still there, I feel sad. I try to find a way to get them here because they are in danger.”
Another refugee, Syed Yasar Sadat, fled with his mother, daughter and wife, who was expecting their second child at the time. He said the decision was made quickly. He never imagined that he would have to leave the life he built to their families.
“I had a good job there,” Sadat said. “I owned a car. I had a beautiful house. But we lost everything in one night.” “When we came to the United States, I only had $1,000 left in my pocket.”
Mohammadi and Sadat now work as rental agents in Village at the Piney Point apartment complex in western Houston, helping provide housing for more than a hundred Afghan refugees.
They both speak English, which they know is a skill that provided an advantage in rebuilding their lives in the United States. They said that their ability to give back to their community helped them move forward through difficult times.
For others, the complex work is still in progress. Al-Nabulsi explained that some still lack their papers, hindering access to needed resources and support. She cited a 2019 study by the Kinsey Institute, which found that it takes an average of seven to nine years for a refugee family to be resettled into an entirely new community.
“So this was not a normal asylum process. The government has overstepped that. So we have our Afghan allies on parole that did not allow them to get public benefits,” Nabulsi said. “I think that has changed since then. But there is still a struggle to support our Afghan families because of the lack of support for them.”
She said agencies across Greater Houston, such as Amana Services for Refugees, Ministries of Religions for Greater Houston, the Coalition and the YMCA, met around this time in 2021 to raise funds to provide stipends and essential items to refugee families.
“We were all working during Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was 24 hours a day to receive people and find housing for them. So it was time for all of us to work and come together to support the arrivals,” Nabulsi said. “It will take these refugees at least a year to work through the trauma they have seen and the trauma they are still experiencing.”
Many Afghan refugees, like Mohammadi and Sadat, eventually want to become US citizens, but still face a cloud of legal uncertainty. The Afghan Adaptation ActWhich would provide a path to lawful permanent residence, Congress has introduced but it hasn’t made any progress yet.
A year after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, Nabulsi urged lawmakers to act now.
“Honestly, this is really frustrating and we say that because you know the government made the decision to bring these Afghans here. It is our moral duty now to support this community and make sure they have a path to citizenship,” she said. . “If that doesn’t work, it will be a huge disappointment for all nonprofits and NGOs working with refugees.”
Sadat said they always sought donations for food, clothing, furniture, and other basic supplies for their Afghan residents. Village deliveries are welcome at the Piney Point rental desk at 2601 Lazy Hollow Drive.
Nabulsi said that Amana Refugee Services is always looking for volunteers and will hire people with educational backgrounds to serve refugees.
“When you talk about the future, these people are going to be the future of Houston. This place is a melting pot; nearly 30 percent of our GDP comes from this community. So we can’t afford to ignore them. We have to support and embrace their power to be successful.” It will only be positive for us and make us stronger.”
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