Immigrants, Leaders Call On Maine Officials To Take Steps To Welcome Afghans

By Evan Popp, Maine Beacon:

After the militant group known as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan last week, Mainers in the immigrant community called on the Biden administration to swiftly accept refugees into the U.S. and also urged state officials to support resettlement of Afghans in local communities.

The offensive launched by the Taliban — a notoriously brutal group — reached the capital city of Kabul earlier this month, with Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed president fleeing the country as the militants took control. After it became clear the Taliban were firmly in command of the country, the U.S. moved to evacuate its embassy.

That campaign by the Taliban followed an announcement earlier this year by President Joe Biden that the U.S. would pull its troops out of Afghanistan, bringing an end to American involvement in a conflict that dragged on for nearly 20 years and drew comparisons with other failed U.S. interventions such as the Vietnam War.

Following the swift takeover by the Taliban, Mufalo Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, said a rapid response by the U.S. will be essential to help those in danger escape Afghanistan. However, she said given the nature of the situation, that response cannot rely on existing immigration structures.

“You can’t use traditional systems of resettlement in this emergency,” Chitam said. “You have to invent a new process and speed up in getting people to safety. We cannot use the same resettlement process — none of those systems work in this time.”

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents Maine’s 1st Congressional District, also called last week for the U.S. to help those who remain in Afghanistan. Pingree said while Biden was right to “finally end this forever war,” the U.S. must “do everything possible to get those who were loyal to our troops and aided us in Afghanistan to safety.”

Chitam said she also hopes state officials and local governments in Maine step forward and declare their support for resettling Afghan refugees. She said the state already has experience in quickly welcoming migrants, pointing to the work done by government and community organizations to resettle asylum-seekers from Angola and Congo in 2019.

In that situation, Chitam said the Portland Expo was opened as a temporary shelter for the migrants, with services provided for several months in the summer of that year. Many of the migrant families then stayed with people in Maine who opened up their homes before being placed in permanent housing.

Chitam said that process provides a framework for how Maine could prepare for a resettlement of Afghan refugees.

“With that experience we had in 2019, we are better equipped to respond to emergency family resettlement,” she said.

Swift action needed

During a rally in Portland on Friday, members of Maine’s Afghan community expressed grief at the deteriorating situation in the country, criticized Biden’s handling of the U.S. exit and expressed fears that the Taliban would punish those who remain in Afghanistan.

Given that situation, those at the rally — which featured around 50 people — called on Biden to take swift humanitarian action.

“America should be doing every single thing to be removing the people at the airport, the people whose lives are at risk, who fear the Taliban,” said Neilab Habibzai of Portland.

Habibzai said her parents are both from Kabul and that her father was a freedom fighter who opposed the Soviet Union occupation of Afghanistan before coming to the U.S. Habibzai still has extended family in Afghanistan, who she’s been able to keep in touch with via video calls amid the takeover by the Taliban.

“They feel really scared and they look really scared,” she said of her family.

Habibzai also argued that state officials should commit to welcoming refugees from Afghanistan, saying such statements would be consistent with the state’s ethos, as Maine has a small but growing immigrant population.

“I believe that this is the story of Maine,” she said. “All these diverse people we see here — this was once upon a time their story.”

Masuma Sayed, who lives in Portland but was born in Afghanistan, agreed. She said with many people in Afghanistan now living in fear because of the Taliban, she wants assurances from state officials that Maine will work to resettle refugees if they are accepted into the U.S.

“The governor has to welcome asylum-seekers,” said Sayed, who said she enthusiastically voted for Gov. Janet Mills.

“I want you to say it — ‘welcome asylum-seekers,’” Sayed added of Mills. “She’s not saying anything.”

Still, Philip Mantis, legal director at the Maine-based Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, said while state officials have the ability to advocate for welcoming refugees, the power to actually make it happen lies at the federal level.

“I really hope that the Biden administration or, if necessary, Congress acts swiftly to help these individuals with the dire consequences of the U.S. military campaign,” Mantis said.

Shirzad Khilwati, who was born in Afghanistan and now lives in Maine, said such consequences are already in motion in the country. Khilwati said his dad worked for the Afghan government but now doesn’t feel comfortable leaving his house after the takeover by the Taliban.

Khilwati urged Biden to help people in the country, especially those who aided the U.S. Currently, though, he said the situation is grim.

“Everybody’s stuck there,” he said.

Top photo: A participant speaks at the rally organized by the Afghan community Friday in Portland | Evan Popp, Beacon

Beacon is a website and podcast created by the Maine People’s Alliance to highlight the experiences of everyday Mainers, share information about the political and policy processes that affect Maine people and promote a progressive worldview based on community, fairness and investing in the future. Sign up for our daily newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.