How I-ARC has Helped During the Afghanistan Crisis

For the last four weeks I’ve been in the middle of some desperate efforts. I’ve seen men and women, whose names will never be recorded in history books, save thousands of lives. I’ve witnessed what it took to get people literally over walls, into the Kabul airport, and onto planes (many of them chartered by private citizens). I’ve received countless messages from people begging for help, the Taliban at their doorstep, their lives very certainly nearing the end. And I’ve watched thousands of lawyers and volunteers rise up and organize services and resources to welcome those who’ve made it here. 

Some lucky refugees will still continue to arrive. Those here continue to get messages from those left behind - and we aren’t done fighting for them. I joined this effort last April, when a small group of us started warning that we needed to evacuate our allies, women and girls, and other Afghans who believed in the Afghanistan we promised, and who we knew would be put at risk by the withdrawal. When Kabul fell, the number of people in our coalition grew. We started a mass civilian evacuation and we’ll decide when the evacuation is over. The government didn’t start it, and they don’t get to tell us when to end it. 

Immigrant-ARC has stepped up in numerous ways. We’ve participated in the Steering Committee of the Evacuate Our Allies (EOA) Coalition in order to help shape the direction, work, scope, and advocacy priorities of the coalition. We’ve supported a 24 hour hotline for individuals assisting with evacuation efforts so they have up to date information for individuals still in Afghanistan and third countries. 

Perhaps most notably, with the help of  Professor Lenni Benson, we have launched the Afghan Resettlement Project, where we are developing a plan to ensure Afghans are screened for all available pathways to help, including business immigration paths and access to help through other friendly countries, like Canada because we know the response needed is  continent-wide. 

Obtaining legal status can be costly. Filing fees for humanitarian parole costs  $575 per person. We recognize not everyone can afford this and we’re raising money specifically for these funds through our donation platform.

We’re working diligently to share as much information as possible, through both our website and our social media platforms. Resources are continuously being added to the I-ARC website under our new Afghanistan page. There are four separate pages, one for Legal Aid for Afghans and resources for individuals still in Afghanistan, one for resources for volunteers, and a social media toolkit (to help promote important information).

I-ARC has also been at the forefront of advocacy efforts. We’re coordinating with the State Department, Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security. We’ve worked with elected officials and other stakeholders to aid them with helping individual cases because we know each individual matters. 

I’m sorry for the calls and messages I haven’t returned in the last few weeks.. I’ve needed time not just to manage this important work, but also to process this moment in history. There were so many times I wanted to write about the work we’ve been doing so that I could keep a record of what we were living through, but I still can’t find the right words. 

And to all the friends I’ve made along the way - these are friendships forged in battle and I have been so honored and privileged to be a part of this fight with you. We’ve held each other up. My life is forever changed for the better because it intersected with yours, and with the brave Afghans who deserved so much more than what we gave them.