Facing Flood of Applications, U.S. Turns Away Afghan Immigrants
Afghans face steeper odds and longer processes for escaping to the U.S., and immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say the government has set up untenable barriers to a safe haven.
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The Biden administration has begun issuing denials to Afghans seeking to emigrate to the United States through the humanitarian parole process, after a system that typically processes 2,000 applications annually has been flooded with more than 30,000, reports Axios. Afghans face steeper odds and longer processes for escaping to the U.S., and immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say the government has set untenable barriers to a safe haven, given the circumstances in Afghanistan.
More than 100 Afghans have been approved since the summer, but now there are reportedly dozens of denials. Those who’ve already received humanitarian parole include immigrants who hadn’t yet received their Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) or other legal protections when they were airlifted from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of Kabul. Humanitarian parole gives recipients a two-year residency in the U.S. to complete their application for more formal programs like asylum, refugee status, or an SIV.
