Direct Action to Support the Afghan Evacuation
On August 23, 2021 the Veterans Collaborative joined 70 organizations with the Coalition to Evacuate Our Allies to sign onto a letter requesting a meeting to discuss our commitment to our Afghan allies. The White House committed to engaging the Coalition to allow our community to effectively support the safe and appropriate evacuation and settlement of our Afghan allies, understanding that the support networks our organizations have created are a critical component of the mission.
The letter noted that any failure “to meet our obligations to these Afghans would not only be a national security risk—harming America’s reputation abroad and eroding the trust in our armed forces that is critical for future operations—it would also condemn veterans and survivors of the conflict in Afghanistan to a lifetime of moral injury.”
We recognize that supporting the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans is a meaningful step individuals and organizations can take toward preventing and treating moral injury in the military and veteran communities. During virtual summits, several participants expressed an interest in supporting Afghan refugees.
Leveraging and building on existing resources and working to align organizations to allow for maximum impact is one of the Veterans Collaborative’s core principals––we encourage those who want to be a part of the effort to continue reading to learn more about existing efforts and how you can get involved.
association of wartime allies
The Association of Wartime Allies (AWA) has served as the preeminent advocate for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) eligible individuals since 2019. AWA offers interactive, real-time support and education to SIV principal applicants to enable them to navigate the complexities of the SIV process.
AWA estimates the SIV backlog has quadrupled since August 2021, with the most recent State Department data demonstrating a dire situation––the current pace of SIV relocations suggests this backlog would take more than 31 years to process if maintained.
Since August 2021, AWA has partnered with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to report on the status of SIV-eligible individuals left behind after the US withdrawal of Afghanistan. You can review the reports below and visit their website to learn more and take action.
Special immigrant visa call for Cooperative action
The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program represents the promise made to Afghans and Iraqis who fought with American troops. The Truman Center made recommendations in the early days of the Biden Administration on how to improve the SIV system, which you can review below. Learn more about the Truman Center’s efforts here.
Coalition to Evacuate Our Allies
Evacuate Our Allies is a coalition of trusted human rights, religious and refugee organizations working alongside veterans and frontline civilians to evacuate at-risk Afghan allies to safety. It was formed with a mission is to ensure the rapid evacuation and rescue of vulnerable Afghans at risk of persecution from the Taliban, and their prompt resettlement in the United States.
Evacuate our Allies is aligned with the #AfghanEvac coalition, whose 30+ partner organizations are directly coordinating ground support and logistics, chartering planes, advocating for landing rights at bases and in countries, informing legislators, and sharing information. The coalition built and coordinates the mechanism for cooperation between US government agencies and private groups and is expanding its coalition every day to reduce chaos and improve outcomes.
#AfghanEvac is looking for volunteers with specific skillsets. Follow the link below if you're an individual interested in providing some skills-based volunteer work for the #AfghanEvac Core Team or members of the coalition. If you are a part of an organization or effort working to save lives in Afghanistan, care for folks during their journey, or helping get folks settled once they make it out––we encourage you to join #AfghanEvac to be added to their daily coordination calls, where the critical mass of organizations share information.
The coalition has been facilitating connections, sharing information, and de-conflicting activities to unlock solutions with the unified objective of saving as many lives as possible under a shared set of commitments. Groups in the coalition:
share with appropriate government partners the data gathered pertaining to people on the ground in Afghanistan in need of assistance;
endeavor to be trusted partners, always acting ethically and within the bounds of the law;
are not negotiating with third countries or the Taliban;
are not using inappropriately, or causing the appearance thereof, US government equipment or assets;
do not share the inner workings of our meetings with the press; and
do not send people outside of Afghanistan without a legal, State Department-informed plan in mind for their ultimate disposition.
The Human First Coalition is a team of volunteers assisting American Citizens and allies to reach safety in the aftermath of the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan; the organization is part of the #AfghanEvac Coalition. On September 29, we hosted a Direct Action Info Session with Hanna Tripp and Jordan Jones on Sponsoring Afghan Humanitarian Parole Applicants.
Hanna Tripp is a member of the Veterans Collaborative's Board of Directors; she has been working with the Human First Coalition and Minority Veterans of America, which are both part of the #AfghanEvac Coalition.
Jordan Jones, Esq. has filed hundreds of Humanitarian Parole applications for Hazaras, Afghan women's rights advocates, and for Afghan allies of the U.S. whose lives are now in danger because of their work.
Hanna and Jordan's work puts them in close contact with individuals working to safely evacuate people from Afghanistan; they spoke to difficulties being encountered and some of the barriers to be overcome. Humanitarian parole is one of the only avenues for at risk individuals in Afghanistan to come to the United States––it is a temporary form of relief and relies on the discretion of the USCIS officer reviewing an application.
They have identified a desperate need for sponsors right now and obtaining humanitarian parole is a key step in the evacuation process for thousands of Afghans whose lives are at risk. Please see the FAQ for more information on what sponsorship entails for individuals and organizations. Follow the link below if you would like to be contacted by Hanna and Jordan to support specific applicants in need of sponsors.
You can help support the growing movement to help our new Afghan neighbors start new lives here once they’ve arrived by visiting welcome.us to register your support, learn how to get involved, and get connected to organizations working to help meet needs:
Community Sponsorship is a powerful and direct way to support Afghan newcomers––by doing airport pick ups, making grocery runs, sharing a meal, offering advice on day-to-day decisions like schools, sports, and more, you can help a new neighbor build a new life in your community.
Airbnb.org is partnering with resettlement agencies to fund temporary stays for 20,000 Afghan refugees. Hosts can help even more people by offering short-term stays for free or at a discount. Even if you’ve never hosted on Airbnb, anyone with space available, from a private room to an entire home, can offer to temporarily house refugees.
Welcome.us recently launched the Welcome Exchange, a real-time registry where Resettlement Agencies with needs for supplies and services, and Businesses looking for ways to give to refugees, can post needs and offer support. Members of the Welcome Exchange can also post what services they can provide and what assistance they need.
Jewish Family Service of MetroWest is one of many local organizations partnering with Welcome.us––they are working locally to support refugees before and after their arrival in the United States, aiding with community integration, and providing essential items and services. They are also a part of the Veterans Collaborative. The most urgent need they’ve identified for refugees settling locally is specific to housing.
If you have a separate space with a private bathroom––such as a rental property, in-law apartment, vacation home, etc.––in the greater Boston/MetroWest area that can be made available for an incoming family they are supporting, please click here.
If you are able to provide financial assistance to support the housing and other needs of these incoming families, please click here to make a contribution––they a match up to $15,000, so you can have twice the impact.
They are also currently hiring a case management support specialist to support the JFS’ Resettlement Program––click here for more information. This is a full time role dedicated to supporting JFS’ Resettlement Program, specifically case work with Afghan evacuees. Applicants interested in part time work may also be considered.
other ways to get involved
In addition to the opportunities identified above, veteran and military family communities in Massachusetts can support Afghan allies by:
speaking out locally, in the media (including on social media), to officials, to family, and to friends on the importance of offering this support;
working through welcome.us to donate needed items at the various staging bases;
making employment connections for refugees;
contacting national and local faith-based organizations supporting this effort for support as allies; and/or
reaching out to local chapters of the Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) Program resettlement agencies to see how your community is helping and offer support.
Background information on the APA Program including the resettlement process can be found here. A list of resettlement organizations and affiliate contacts can be found here and here.
The Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) supports services that meet the cultural and linguistic needs of refugees and immigrants through a network of service providers in Massachusetts. For more information or assistance in this regard, you can contact the State Refugee Coordinator (Mary Truong, 617-727-7888) or the State Refugee Health Coordinator (Jennifer Cochran, 617-983-6596.
Click here for SIV/Iraqi & Syrian P-2/Afghan Referrals.
For more information on how to assist those still in Afghanistan, click here.