State Department officials announced in early August that the agency would broaden Afghan access to the U.S. beyond the restrictions of the SIV program, he said, creating a “priority 2” or “P2” designation that could — at least on paper — include thousands of Afghans who worked for U.S.-funded projects, non governmental groups and U.S.-based media outlets. But the program does not offer evacuation flights: In order to access it, applicants must leave Afghanistan on their own before applying for U.S. refugee status, a process that can take at least 12 to 14 months.
Hetfield said getting out of Afghanistan was already challenging two weeks ago, and even if refugees made it out, they could land in Iran — a nation that has taken many Afghan refugees over the years but where the U.S. does not have any capacity to process visa claims.
“It was impractical when it was introduced — impractical is a kind word for it — and now it’s impossible,” he said.
Erol Kekic, senior vice president of Church World Service’s immigration and refugee program, agreed. He equated the program to “telling somebody that there’s another way out, but it’s going to take forever for you to get there.”
Kekic added that it’s important to keep the P2 program in place but that it amounts to few “realistic opportunities” for those seeking passage out of Afghanistan and into the U.S.
Challenges remain for faith communities willing to help, too: Some Church World Service sites have been “overwhelmed” by SIVs who have arrived all at once, partly because the U.S. refugee resettlement apparatus was decimated under the previous Trump administration, he said.
Still, support for the refugees among those communities is robust, according to Kekic.
Bill Canny, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ office of Migration and Refugee Service, said his group has already helped resettle some 1,000 Afghans with SIVs in the U.S. this year.
In addition, representatives from his group, LIRS, CWS and others have spent the past few weeks helping Afghan refugees at Fort Lee in Virginia, lending legal aid and medical assistance. World Relief has been ramping up its efforts to welcome arriving Afghans at its offices in Sacramento, Seattle and elsewhere.
And Bethany Christian Services, which resettles refugees across the country in partnership with a number of faith-based agencies, said in a written statement it is “ready and able” to welcome more Afghan refugees and SIV recipients.
Meanwhile, planes abruptly stopped arriving at Fort Lee over the weekend, and while some of the visa processing work has shifted to Kabul, refugee groups say they’re unsure when flights to Fort Lee will resume.
Biden has said the U.S. mission now is to get its people and its allies out of Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible, concluding the country’s military withdrawal and its longest war.
But, Canny said, “It’s not clear who is going to be able to come out — with what status, if you will — given the embassy is closed. We’re still on call at Fort Lee to stand by for, hopefully, further flights.”
Emily McFarlan Miller reported from Chicago.
This article originally appeared here.
