How it works: People resettled by the State Department and local agencies receive assistance in the first 30–90 days with housing, finding employment, getting their children into schools, and learning English.
But the flooded system is strapped by a shortage of affordable housing and staff at resettlement agencies, and the Biden administration is facing criticism that the process is moving slowly.
A major concern among community organizers now is the risk of Afghans becoming homeless when assistance runs up, says Shekeba Morrad, a lawyer in the D.C. metro area and volunteer helping to coordinate resettlement efforts.
What’s next: A stopgap program known as humanitarian parole gives Ahmadi and others two years in the U.S. as they wait for their green cards and SIV applications to be processed.
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