According to a State Department official, about 18,000 people who have applied for special immigrant visas to the US are still awaiting approval. But how quickly they can get through the red tape built into the program is unclear, given the thorough and years of vetting that often takes place before a visa is issued.
For many, that time can be a matter of life and death.
“Due to the high risk of the Taliban and target killing, the company I work with said I should not go to my job site for a short time. Instead, I stay awake at night to see if anyone is trying to get in the way. planting a bomb around my house, and my wife does the same during the day while I sleep, ‘Khan said in a statement to CNN shared through his attorney Julie Kornfeld.
“I can’t go to town to shop and the hospital for treatment. When I go, I wear a turban, a surgical mask and glasses so as not to aim,” he added. CNN uses his middle name only out of safety concerns.
Khan has worked for more than six years for two different US companies contracted by the Department of Defense in Afghanistan and applied for a special immigrant visa (SIV) three years ago, Kornfeld said.
“We expect the security situation to deteriorate rapidly for anyone seen as opposing the Taliban. That will certainly include translators and other US government employees,” said Betsy Fisher, director of strategy at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
Thousands of Afghans, including US military interpreters and contractors, have moved to the United States through the visa. The average time to process the visas is a tedious and lengthy process; According to State Department data reviewed by CNN in recent years, it took more than 500 days to process for each approved applicant.
Abdul, an Afghan citizen, fled his country for fear of being killed for working as an engineer for the US government in Afghanistan.
“I left everything behind,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I left my family and my colleagues and it was very painful for me.”
Abdul requested that CNN call him with an alias to protect his identity, saying his life is in danger from insurgents he fears are still haunting him.
‘Eyes and ears’
The US diplomatic mission in Afghanistan would be impossible without the local partners and translators, US diplomats say.
“It’s our eyes and ears. They have all the contacts that benefit us. They organize meetings and they know the power brokers,” explained an American diplomat who recently served in Afghanistan. “They are also our continuity because US diplomats’ turnover is about 90 percent each year.”
Many of the translators have family members that they are also concerned about, US diplomats told CNN. It’s the fear of their family that has led some of them to finally sign up for a program they hoped they would never have to use.
“These are resilient and determined people. They thought there was going to be peace, so they didn’t think they should go to the US. Now that the Taliban may be able to return, they have no choice,” said a second US diplomat.
A State Department spokesperson said they are well aware of the risks faced by translators and others.
“Everyone involved in this process, whether in Washington or at our embassies abroad, is fully aware of the contributions of our Afghan colleagues and the risks they face. As Secretary (Antony) Blinken said: We are committed to those who have worked with us, and helped us, whether it was our military or our diplomats, and we are committed to moving forward with the special immigrant visa program for them, “the spokesman said.
Serious delays
According to Lindsey Sharp of the International Rescue Committee, “hundreds and hundreds of visas” had expired because no one could leave the country to come to the US. The embassy in Afghanistan has “finally” resumed processing and reissued expired visas, Sharp said, but capacity is still limited.
“Covid has stopped some sort of land allocation for the past year,” she said. “The backlogs are now big.”
The State Department says they now have more resources and have taken steps to prioritize requests from interpreters and translators, with extra focus on those who assisted in combat operations, the spokesman said. Those efforts include a temporary increase of the consular staff at the US embassy in Kabul to assist with the visas.
“Since people learned of this news that the US is withdrawing from Afghanistan, I have been receiving hundreds of messages, such as Facebook posts, from my friends, from other people who have served as interpreters or translators or contractors in Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said . “The people are asking for help.”
Shinwari has had a hard time keeping up with the messages due to the constant flow of “What should I tell them?” he said.
While working as an interpreter in Afghanistan, Shinwari lived on the US base, not only for his job, but also as his protection, he explained. Without it he would be in danger.
“These interpreters are the breadwinners of a large family,” he said. “When the breadwinner dies, the whole family dies.”
Concerns from legislators and others
“Our troops are coming home with the honor they deserve, but if we leave those who facilitated our mission to die, our nation’s honor will be indelibly tarnished,” they wrote in the letter obtained by CNN.
Members of Congress have also shared concerns about the future of those who helped the US mission in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of 16 MPs, including some who have served in the U.S. Army and the State Department, sent a letter to the president urging the government to work for the Afghan people that United States assisted on the spot.
“We must provide a path to security for those who have worked loyally alongside US forces, diplomats and contractors, and work with our international partners to provide options for Afghans who would experience a credible fear of persecution should the Taliban return to power. Democratic representatives Jason Crow, Ami Bera, Earl Blumenauer, Jared Golden, Sara Jacobs, Andy Kim, Tom Malinowski, Seth Moulton, Stephanie Murphy and Adam Schiff wrote, and Republican representatives Don Bacon, Neal Dunn, Adam Kinzinger, Peter Meijer, Michael Waltz and Brad Wenstrup.
“This effort advances our vital national security interests by showing the world the way we treat our partners,” said lawmakers, who announced they would form the “Honoring Our Promises Working Group,” aiming to legislate to improve the SIV program and coordination with the administration.
Republican Representative Mike Waltz from Florida, who served as a Special Forces officer in Afghanistan, said he heard of Afghans, many of whom have been working with the US for years, “in a panic.”
“I had an interpreter executed while waiting in line for a SIV visa along with some of his cousins and brothers. So this idea that we can go back, you know, when we need to after we let our local partners down, it’s a lie, it’s just not true, ”added Waltz.
Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon and a longtime supporter of the SIV program, told CNN that he intends to share his concerns with the government.
“I personally feel and will communicate with them that I hope that one of the unintended consequences is not endangering people who literally risked their lives to help Americans, as translators, truck drivers … We have a duty to do this right, ”he said.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, also a longtime supporter of the SIV program, said in a statement that she was “ discouraged by the president’s decision, which in my opinion not only jeopardizes hard-won gains in Afghanistan. , but also endangered Afghans who have been crucial partners in supporting the US. “
This story has been updated with a letter from retired US Army General David Petraeus and former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker.