Client Stories: Zaid and Nadera
After years of hard work and constant struggle, our first Afghan family was reunified last month. Since 2021, the conditions for American allies in Afghanistan have moved from unknown to perilous. Coordinating to immigrate family members of evacuated Afghans has been a challenge. Reunification cases are uncharted territory, and each victory is won through careful trial and error. Due to the danger facing our client's family members, this high-stakes work is high-stress.
*Zaid came to us in May of 2023. A pro bono attorney had helped him win asylum, but Zaid needed our help to apply for his green card and for reunification with his wife *Nadera, who was unable to evacuate in 2021. Hardly any private attorneys want to touch these cases because, without a working U.S. consulate in the country, there is no clear path for immigration from Afghanistan.
Our client Nadera had to travel to a third country, Pakistan, in order to do her consular interview. Political unrest (Pakistan deporting Afghans) and logistical nightmares (the only way forward is through bribes) kept us up at night. The stress and sleepless nights were all worth it when we saw Zaid and Nadera together again. After months of pleading for help from the evacuation team the U.S. government set up for Afghans (they never responded), Nadera arrived in the U.S. due to generous support from refugee resettlement volunteers. As soon as Nadera received her U.S. visa and Pakistani humanitarian visa (simply so she could EXIT Pakistan), a volunteer purchased her next-day flight from Islamabad to LAX.
On April 10, Nadera arrived in Los Angeles. After a few weeks of settling in, Zaid brought Nadera to the IRC, proudly introducing her. Seeing Nadera, here, in person, brought so much relief and emotion. They were both beaming. To our happy surprise, Zaid, who spoke little English last year, is now conversationally fluent and told us about his wife's travels and her exclamation at the airport: "You look so thin!" Almost three years without Nadera's cooking will do that to a man.
Speaking of Nadera's cooking, those who worked on Zaid and Nadera's case were invited to dinner to celebrate the reunification of the couple. Bree, Jonathan, along with 3 other refugee resettlement volunteers, and an IRC client who often helps to translate, gathered for dinner in the apartment of Zaid and Nadera. Zaid drove far to purchase fresh halal lamb from his favorite market. Nadera began cooking at 10am. As we sat around eating delicious food: kabuli palao (the Aghan national dish), mantu dumplings, and fried eggplant, we felt our clients' appreciation. As our plates emptied, they miraculously were filled again, and we ate until our stomachs could take no more. With full bellies, we watched as Zaid and Nadera leaned into each other, smiling at pictures of relatives and showing us photos of their former lives, talking about their dreams of the future. This was all the reward we needed for the sleepless nights. Nadera misses her nieces and nephews. Zaid has plans to enroll her in adult school. We have another client who's wife and 4 children need humanitarian visas. Did you hear about the Afghan family who moved in down the street?
--Bree Salthouse
*Zaid and Nadera
Names changed to protect client confidentiality