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We have been working the ministries of immigration justice since 2014. Our first offer of sanctuary was to Marco Tulio and our first sanctuary guest was Misael Perez. Since the beginning, we have helped hundreds of people. Our latest ministry of immigration justice is with Afghan diplomat families.
The official record states U.S. Army Major General Chris Donahue was the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. This marked the end of the longest war in U.S. history. In the month of August, we watched thousands of Afghans scramble for survival as the last air transport aircraft left Afghanistan. The pictures of their humanity, the fear of retaliation from the Taliban, and a sense of moral responsibility motivated Shadow Rock UCC to offer refuge to Afghan families.
Shadow Rock Church works with a specialized and neglected group of Afghan refugees. We work with Afghan diplomats and their families. These families do not have an immigration pathway to the United States because they are stranded in the countries where they were serving as diplomats. They can not go back to Afghanistan because they would be imprisoned, tortured, and executed for being a government employee in a regime that was an ally of the United States. They lose income, legal status, and a traditional path to migrate to the US. They are languishing in countries all over the world.
Our first family arrived on Nov. 28, 2021. Our second family arrived April 12, 2022. Our third family is scheduled to arrive this December 2023. The process of resettlement involves overcoming trauma and securing the basics of housing, food, utilities, household items, and furniture. The family has to wait for our immigration system to share benefits and authorize work permits. This can be a very trying time of waiting, grieving, healing, and anxiety. We have witnessed great strength and perseverance with our families. This brief story captures some of this process.
Ruzul is 5 years old. Ruzul’s father is married to a woman who was an Afghan diplomat. He is a strong and proud man that would and did everything he could to protect his family. They came to the United States with a few suitcases. They started with nothing. Now, 6 months later, Ruzul’s father is working and providing for his family. With a couple of paychecks they can negotiate a new budget with the congregation providing assistance. This is good news but there are some challenges still ahead. The job is a good job and Razul’s father is grateful but the wage is lower than what is needed. Also, with the new income there is a substantial loss of income and food assistance that needs to be made up. Economists call this the “cliff effect”. Also, it is time to get an attorney and begin the process of establishing a new legal status. They sit down for a simple dinner meal of rice, lamb, vegetables, and flatbread. Even in the face of the new challenges, Ruzul sees and watches his mother and father give thanks for their chance at a new life.
We begin this process again with our third Afghan diplomat family. The family configuration is a mother, father, and four young children. We would love to show you a picture of this beautiful family but for their safety we cannot at this time. They have been stranded in the Middle East on the verge of homelessness for the past two years. Our immigration system has finally vetted our family and given them permission to come to the United States. They will be arriving with their Green Cards. Having a Green Card (officially known as a Permanent Resident Card) allows a person to live and work permanently in the United States. This gives them an advantage over our first two families who arrived under the status of humanitarian parole.
The process of refugee resettlement is very costly. Depending on the size of the family, the time to find employment, and the availability of government benefits it can be a $30 - $100 thousand investment in the lives of our new Afghan neighbors.
Shadow Rock UCC is committed to bringing stranded and forgotten Afghan diplomat families to safety. We have already saved two families with another family on the way. Over the past two years, our process worked with embassies and USCIS and has been outside the usual process of refugee resettlement, therefore many financial resources were not available to us. Our third family should fare better but there are still many unknowns. We need your help. Please use the QR code to make a contribution to our ministry. Our goal is $100,000! It is a ministry of justice, and compassion, and part of the larger national effort to keep America’s promise to the Afghan people.
The money is for direct assistance but it can also be seed money for our Afghan families to assist others who still live under the threat of violence, oppression, and death. Let us draw the circle wide.
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