‘Durham is ready.’ City and county officials publicly welcome Afghan refugees
Omid Ahmadzai fled his home in Afghanistan in 2015. He spoke outside Durham City Hall on Monday for those still there.
Ahmadzai resettled in Durham with the help of Church World Service. He spoke alongside elected leaders and refugee workers at a press conference where officials publicly announced their support for Afghan refugees.
“Their life is at high risk right now,” Ahmadzai said of fellow Afghans who worked for the American government and military yet remain stuck in Afghanistan with the Taliban in control of the country.
“The translator (is) like a light for the U.S. Army and the U.S. government,” he said. “If you don’t have light, you cannot go in the dark. You can’t find anything.”
The Biden administration is sticking to a Tuesday deadline to withdraw the rest of U.S. troops and diplomats from Afghanistan. Ahmadzai called on President Joe Biden to “keep his promise” of protecting Afghans who were allies to the U.S.
Afghan refugees are here
Kokou Nayo of Church World Service said trained volunteers from his organization have been deployed to Fort Lee in Virginia to help resettle flights of Afghan refugees.
Some families have already arrived in the Triangle.
On Aug. 18, Adam Clark, the director of World Relief Durham, told newsletter subscribers his agency had helped a family of seven, one of their first new arrivals, move into their new home. Another family of seven would arrive within days from Fort Lee, he wrote.
At Monday’s press conference, Clark said at least 100 refugees are expected in Durham over the next few months.
Reports from the Department of State’s Refugee Processing Center show only six Afghan refugees arrived in North Carolina between January and July this year. The United States grants refugee status to “people outside of their country who are unable or unwilling to return home because they fear serious harm.”
On the other hand, the number of special immigrant visa holders, or SIVs, from Afghanistan grew from 3 to 26 between March and July. This status is often granted to Iraqi and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. government and military as translators or interpreters on the ground, in their native country.
The Department of State releases new data on refugee and SIV arrivals by state and country of origin on the fifth day of the following month, or the following Monday if the fifth day falls on a weekend.
Durham hires refugee coordinator
In light of the increased need, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam and Durham City Council Member Javiera Caballero have been pushing for a joint city and county-funded refugee coordinator.
Durham Mayor Steve Schewel announced at the press conference that the position was approved in July and will be housed in the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Services department. City and county staff are interviewing candidates for the position.
The refugee coordinator will be a liaison between refugee resettlement agencies and Durham local government for refugees and immigrants arriving in the community.
“There are so many services and basic, everyday things that we need to do as Durham residents, but there are barriers for refugees and immigrants,” Allam said, listing paying property taxes and enrolling kids in school among them. “It’s very timely we were able to get this position.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 2:29 PM with the headline "‘Durham is ready.’ City and county officials publicly welcome Afghan refugees."
