Immigrant ARC announces the publication of its report “FINDING HOME IN THE EMPIRE STATE: A Survey and Assessment of the Needs of Afghans Newly Resettled in New York State”
New York, NY; April 19, 2023 - At the two-year anniversary of the Biden Administration’s announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan - suddenly sending the country into chaos and thousands of Afghans fleeing to America - I-ARC, presents its months-long study of the needs of Afghan newcomers to New York State, developed in partnership with Catholic Charities Family and Community Services, Just Cause, Refugee & Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE), the Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY, and World Relief.
REPORT GENERAL FINDINGS
The Afghan evacuee community is quite diverse, and therefore has diverse needs. Some community members have come to the U.S. with advanced degrees and significant work experience — their needs include transferring their credentials or formulating a plan to invest in continuing education in the U.S. to practice in their field. Some community members have not completed high school — their needs include studying for their GED, or connecting with work opportunities that do not have particular educational requirements. Many individuals do not speak English.
80% of Afghan evacuees in NY state were found to have viable asylum claims.
Nearly half of Afghan evacuees in NY state have some type of US-government affiliations.
Seventy-four percent of Afghan community members interviewed reported mental health concerns. Particular stressors included worry about family members remaining in Afghanistan, and worry about obtaining employment and legal status in the U.S.
84% of Afghan community members hope to settle permanently in the United States.
55% of Afghan interviewees reported having either no job or a job that does not pay enough to sustain them.
Many Afghan community members are still awaiting their work authorization; Afghan-serving organizations report struggling to hire and train staff to meet the large demand.
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Camille Mackler, the Executive Director of Immigrant ARC, made the following statement:
“We are proud of the work New York State has done to welcome Afghan allies over the last two years. New York’s history is indelibly tied to Afghanistan and when the Taliban took control of the government there, New Yorkers did what they did best - extended welcome and compassion. Though there have been challenges, and many lessons learned along the way, over a thousand Afghans now call New York home, and we are committed to continuing to work with our partners and government supporters to ensure that our new neighbors have the support and services they need to fully become part of our State’s economic, cultural, and civic life. This assessment by our staff and partners show where we must continue to focus over the next coming years, and we look forward to continuing to work with all involved in the report.”
Adds RISE Director of Resettlement Leah Ifraimova, “We see firsthand the difficulties our refugee clients face and through such important work as the Afghan Needs Assessment, we hope to bring more awareness to the refugee community and continue to advocate on their behalf.”
Mahnaz Akbari is I-ARC’s Afghan Resettlement Project Manager and has a very important role not only in writing this report, but also as an Afghan immigrant and asylum-seeker who is able to shed light and lived experience on behalf of Afghans in the United States. She says, “Having a safe and healthy life is the right of every person, and this survey, by highlighting the problems of Afghans rescued in the evacuation from Afghanistan, helps to identify their problems and thus make solutions to meet their needs and expand their access to services. Of course, it was very easy for me to understand all the problems of Afghans because I myself was one of the victims of this incident so I am passionate about improving their resettlement and integration to the US. I hope this survey will open a way to meet the needs of immigrants now and for the future.”
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I-ARC and the other organizations co-sponsoring this assessment of the needs of Afghan newcomers stand in full-throated support of the Afghan Adjustment Act, currently awaiting a vote in Congress. The bill provides a pathway to lawful permanent residence and eventual citizenship for Afghan nationals who have already been allowed to enter the U.S. Unlike the regular U.S. asylum process, which requires applicants to speak about their credible fear of persecution, an often retraumatizing experience, this stand-alone bill would allow Afghans to enter a streamlined process to adjust their status after going through a vetting process. This bill helps ensure Afghans who are already here in the United States can integrate into their communities where they are already living.
The full “FINDING HOME IN THE EMPIRE STATE: A Survey and Assessment of the Needs of Afghans Newly Resettled in New York State” report can be found HERE on the I-ARC website.
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Immigrant ARC is a collaborative of over 80 organizations and professional associations providing legal services to New York’s immigrant communities throughout the State. Born out of the legal effort at JFK Airport during the Muslim Travel Ban in 2017, our mission is clear: to mobilize New York State’s legal service providers by facilitating communication and information sharing to better support our immigrant communities; to organize and respond to issues as they arise by coordinating resources and fostering best practices among providers; and to resist and challenge anti-immigrant policies by shining a light on injustices and confronting inequalities faced by our communities in the legal system.
CONTACT: press@immigrantarc.org
