What's Next For Afghan Refugees?

17:18

August 24, 2021

Tiziana Dearing, Walter Wuthmann, Steven Gelman

Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul's airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. (Shekib Rahmani/AP)

Since August 14, the United States has evacuated over 58,000 Americans and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. For Afghan refugees looking to live in the United States, they must now apply for a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV. Several Massachusetts organizations, including the International Institute of New England, are assisting in resettling Afghan refugees and special immigrant visa holders as they evacuate the country.

We speak with Sayed, who resettled here with his wife in 2019, but worries about his family still in Afghanistan. We also hear from Emma Tobin, Chief Program Officer for the International Institute of New England, who assisted Sayed with his visa.

Note: We've omitted Sayed's last name to preserve his anonymity and protect his family still living in Afghanistan.

This segment aired on August 24, 2021.