User:FrozenFrosch/Afghan refugees

-PROPOSED THINGS TO INCLUDE-


 * Information about how Afghan refugees fleeing to the United States were given Humanitarian Parole status (can link to the Parole classification page).
 * Can further go into detail here about how this is considered a temporary 2 year status that is subject to renewal processes
 * DHS opened up a re-parole process for Afghan Nationals on 08 June, 2023; need a better source for this outside of the DHS press release
 * Make note of the fact that the HP status does not put Afghans into the Lawful Permanent Residency (LPR) status in the United States, and thus does not set them upon a pathway to citizenship
 * Note that Afghans have/are forced to apply for that LPR status independently
 * Might be worth noting that this was meant to be included in the '21, '22 & '23 Omnibus budget bills, but those bills did not pass & instead a continuing resolution of funding was passed
 * Don't need to go in-depth on details here, but can add some additional information
 * Information about where Afghan refugees have decided to resettle in the United States
 * Large diasporas in particular cities & states; might be worth noting that here, and referencing back to the Afghan Diaspora page.

-DRAFT TEXT-

Afghanistan is one of the largest refugee-producing countries in the world. Considered to be amongst the 4 nations with the highest number of refugees, there are more than 8 million Afghans who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of violence, potential persecution and poverty; creating a population of more than 8.2 million Afghans across a total of 103 separate countries. Of these 8.2 million refugees, just under 6 million are deemed to have been displaced as a result of the United States' War in Afghanistan. Along with this, approximately 3.2 millions Afghan nationals have been driven from their homes and into the status of internally displaced person (IDP).

Over the past 40 years, the number of Afghan immigrants living in the United States has risen from roughly 4,000 to nearly 195,000. The majority of this population increase has occurred between two periods; 2010-2019 and from 2021 forward. Between the 10 year periods in the 2010s, the Afghan population rose from 54,000 in 2010 to roughly 132,000. Additionally, that population jumped again in 2021 in the midst of the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, when it jumped by an additional 76,000.

In the same month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened up a new program for Afghan nationals residing in the United States. This program allowed for Afghan Humanitarian Parolees who were currently residing in the United States to re-apply to the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) for parole status if they fell into eligible categories; particularly if they had been initially paroled into the United States as part of the initial Operation Allies Refuge. The policy was put into place by the administration of President Joe Biden, and additionally allowed for the extension of employment authorization for any individual whose re-parole was approved.

Throughout the course of Operation Allies Welcome, the United States issued humanitarian parole status to more than 76,000 evacuated Afghan nationals. Humanitarian parole serves as a method for individuals otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States to be given temporary permission to enter the country by the Secretary of Homeland Security. These individuals are paroled into the country as a result of "urgent humanitarian reasons or [for] significant public benefit" In the case of Afghan nationals, this status was given for a period of 2 years; additionally granting these parolees employment authorization in the country. Individuals granted humanitarian parole status differ from their counterparts admitted through Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) or the standard immigration process, in that they lack set pathway to achieve Lawful Permanent Residency (or Green Card) status.

Afghan parolees residing in the United States continue to face an unclear future when it comes to permanent residency. Efforts such as the Afghan Adjustment Act have been introduced into both the 117th & 118th US Congressional sessions in an effort to provide a pathway to citizenship for Afghan nationals, however the bill has yet to pass both Houses of Congress; partly as a result of its key omission from the 2022 omnibus spending bill (the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022). Opposition to the act has largely come from Republican lawmakers, particularly Senator Chuck Grassley, who stated in 2022 that he would not stand behind the bill "as long as the vetting process is not improved". Multiple Republicans have echoed this point of view, after 2 individuals of the more than 76,000 admitted were found to potentially pose a threat to National Security as a result of a report from the Office of the Inspector General.

ADD A PIECE ABOUT LIFE FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES IN THE US

Use the DHS report on English language from VA if needed