When Nathan Fry served in Afghanistan, he said he met dozens of people who believed in the idea of a free, democratic society and worked tirelessly alongside the U.S. military toward that dream, often at the risk of their own safety.
“They still want to live in a free and democratic society,” he said. “If they can’t do so in Afghanistan, then any endeavor that we can embark on to get them to the United States and help them be a member of a free and democratic society, like part of their dream, I think that’s a worthy cause.”
Fry, of Hinesburg, is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013 and teaches international relations as an adjunct professor at the University of Vermont.
Four years after the Taliban regained control of Kabul and U.S. troops withdrew from America’s longest war, Afghan refugees across the U.S., including in Vermont, are still waiting to relocate with their families as the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on all forms of immigration has significantly slowed the process.
“Afghans in Vermont continue to express fear and worry over their loved ones who have not yet been able to join them here,” said Tracy Dolan, director of the state refugee office.
“Parents, spouses and children remain stuck in dangerous or difficult circumstances and there are many Afghans here who feel that their hearts are torn between Vermont, and Afghanistan and Pakistan or other countries where some of their family members remain waiting for word that they can finally come to join their families in the U.S.,” she wrote in an email Friday.
Vermont has rehomed about 650 refugees from the Central Asian country where Taliban extremists continue their repressive rule going into a fifth year amid continued violence. Recent reports from the United Nations outline worsening human rights in Afghanistan, including restrictions on women’s rights, access to health, education and freedom of movement.
“The U.S. Government has an obligation to keep its promise to these Afghan allies. This 4-year anniversary, we also recognize the resilience, strength, and contributions of Afghan allies across Vermont to our state and communities,” Molly Gray, executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, a Burlington-based nonprofit that supports Afghans resettling in the state, said in a press release.
The Trump administration’s efforts this year to reverse protections granted to Afghan allies and block federal funding for refugee organizations has added to the uncertainty refugees already faced.
The situation has been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including threats to deport Afghan allies and a sweeping travel ban, while neighboring countries turn away Afghan refugees terrified of being sent back to an unstable, hostile country.
Becoming refugees, relocating to a foreign country and waiting four years to reunite with families has taken “an unimaginable toll” on Afghans in Vermont, according to Drew Gustafson, an immigration attorney at the Vermont Afghan Alliance.
“I think people are obviously very anxious to be reunited with their families,” he said. “It takes a lot of effort just to keep that sort of hope alive because it’s been a really long and tough process.”
A handful of the organization’s clients in the greater Burlington area are going through that process, along with others in central and southern Vermont. That coupled with the situation in and around Afghanistan is part of what makes the family reunification process so difficult today, he said.
There is currently no U.S. embassy in Kabul, so cases must be transferred to a post outside of Afghanistan. He said Islamabad — the capital of Pakistan — is likely the closest place to get to, but the recent acceleration in deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, and the difficulty they face getting visas from Pakistan, is compounding the problem.
The situation is similar for Afghans in Iran. The U.S. travel ban and the freezing of refugee program funding has made matters worse.
“It just feels like the Afghan community, sort of globally, is going through a really difficult period,” Gustafson said, one that makes the family reunification process particularly tough at the individual level.
For refugees trying to adjust to life in a new country without the knowledge of when they might see their families again — or ever — is “something I can’t even imagine,” Gustafson said.
“These were people who were evacuated from their country or told by the U.S. you have to leave for your own safety, your life will be endangered if you stay,” he said. “So this is a different sort of story of immigration because they’re not people who came to America with a plan or even a dream.”
In an emailed statement late Friday, Gov. Phil Scott asked Vermonters to celebrate the contributions of “our Afghan neighbors” and “ensure those who seek peace, freedom, and the rule of law only our democratic republic can offer, are always welcome in America.”
These refugees “have become our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Many – due to their cooperation with the United States government during the war – would face deadly consequences if they were forced to return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule,” he said.
Around the world Fry said he has seen people banding together to make their country and lives better — including in Afghanistan and among Afghans resettled in the U.S. The effort to encourage free and democratic societies at home and abroad is “something that we need to see more of,” he said.
“I think we’re all striving for the same thing … for us now and for our children in the future,” Fry said.
The work the alliance is doing to help Afghans in Vermont is invaluable, he said, and “bringing people to Vermont who are going to contribute to our communities in ways that enrich the overall fabric of Vermont — and I think that’s important for us to consider as well.”
Last year, the organization directly served about 250 Afghans statewide. It helped 35 obtain driver’s licenses, placed 65 people in jobs and provided 50 with interpretation services. Since March, it has helped resettle 12 Afghans on special immigrant visas and hosted Eid celebrations for 250 Afghans, according to the press release.
Some of the Afghans helped by the organization are now case workers in the office, helping others.
“We are determined to help keep a promise made to those who risked their lives to support U.S. military and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, and to ensure that families are evacuated and brought to safety here in Vermont,” Gray said in the release.
Meanwhile, the organization is facing significant federal funding cuts and has issued an urgent appeal for donations, as it is unlikely to continue beyond Sept. 30 without additional funds.
“Please stand with those who stood with us and donate today to help close our funding gap,” the alliance wrote on its donation page.
On the nonprofit organization’s board is Afghan war veteran Vince Mazzucca.
“If not for our Afghan interpreters and colleagues, I’m not sure I’d still be here today,” he said in an email. “I feel an obligation to do my small part to keep a promise to this community and to stand by them as they stood by me.”
