California congressional offices inundated with thousands of calls to help Afghan refugees
The Sacarmento area districts of Reps. Ami Bera and Doris Matsui include one of the country’s largest Afghan populations.
Now thousands are calling their offices for help getting people out of Afghanistan as the Taliban seizes power.
More than 6,500 people have contacted Bera, an Elk Grove Democrat who has long been active in U.S.-Afghanistan affairs. The calls began even before the Taliban took control of most of the country last week, but the majority of requests have come since the takeover.
Other members of Congress have referred people to him, since he has worked on Afghanistan-related immigration issues for some time. He chairs the House subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. Bera has a resource page that explains how to use the system.
“It could be family members, another translator…..a lot of the family members in our district are connecting relatives with us,” Bera told The Sacramento Bee Monday. “We’ve been working with a lot of the refugee resettlement agencies.”
Matsui’s office also reports getting thousands of calls for help, and has been working hundreds of cases, said George Hatamiya, her spokesman. She’s also been active in U.S.-Afghan affairs.
Three years ago, she requested a study by Congress’ nonpartisan Government Accountability Office of special immigration visas. Such visas today are important means of getting Afghan translators, interpreters and others out of the country.
“We have elevated cases for those who are in harm’s way and are fiercely advocating for their safe evacuation. We continue to take calls and alert the State Department of the immense need of our constituents,” the congresswoman said Monday.
Matsui’s and Bera’s offices said they had gotten people out but did not have precise numbers.
An estimated one of every nine Afghan natives in the United States lives in the Sacramento region.
The United States has evacuated an estimated 48,000 people since the Taliban took control, and is aiming to accelerate the evacuation before American troops are scheduled to leave the country August 31.
Ami Bera on troop withdrawal
“I wish the initial stages were more orderly,” Bera said of the evacuation. “We certainly have been pushing the administration to speed up the visa process and get these folks out. I think everyone was surprised how quickly Kabul fell. A lot of us sensed at some point this would be a possibility.”
The evacuation accelerated Monday, and Bera praised the effort. He would not say if U.S. troops should leave next week.
“Let’s see where we are at that point in time,” he said.
An estimated one of every nine Afghan natives in the United States lives in the Sacramento region. People have sought help getting several categories of friends and family out of Afghanistan:
▪ Americans in Afghanistan.
▪ People in Afghanistan approved for Special Immigration Visas, or have applications pending. SIVs are available to certain Afghan nationals who have worked for, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as translators and interpreters.
▪ Those eligible for humanitarian parole. Included could be family members of those qualifying for the visas or people at risk, such as women, human rights activists, journalists, physicians and others.
Visas for Afghan nationals
Across the region, members of Congress have mobilized, urging any family or friends of people eligible to leave Afghanistan to contact them.
Rep. John Garamendi’s office Monday said it has helped 56 people leave the country and return to California. The office of Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, has received about 200 inquiries from constituents with friends and families.
The 56 who have been able to enter this country are a mix of American citizens, Afghan citizens with family members in the United States and others who qualify to come to the United States. They were scattered throughout Afghanistan, and generally returned to where they had been living in this country.
Rep. Josh Harder’s office worked with a family of green card holders that reached Washington, D.C Saturday and are on their way back to the area now.
The office has also learned that several families in Afghanistan have received calls from the American Embassy saying they’re on the list to be flown out of the country.
Harder, D-Turlock, and other lawmakers have put together resource guides on their websites, as well as special email addresses, for families and friends.
Sen. Alex Padilla’s website has an Afghanistan resource page with sections describing procedures for American citizens and students, special immigration visas and more.
The lawmakers have tried to pressure Biden administration officials.
“Over the course of the evacuation process, sporadic and inaccurate information about gate openings at Hamid Karzai International Airport has led Afghan families and allies to closed gates, gates guarded by foreign officials, or gates with different or multiple names,” wrote Matsui.
“This lack of clarity has been particularly difficult for those with young children and older family members, who have found themselves in dangerous situations of physical unrest and confusion over entry to the airport.”
Padilla and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., signed a letter along with other senators from both parties urging that the administration move quickly to ensure the Special Immigration Visa program is implemented quickly and efficiently.
Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, noted Monday he voted to expedite and expand the special visa process. He said his staff is “working closely with the State Department to help gather the appropriate information they need to process these applications. They were there for us, and we should be there for them.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "California congressional offices inundated with thousands of calls to help Afghan refugees."
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