Sluggish Visa Process Strands Thousands of Afghans Who Worked for US

Mr. Malinowski, an assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under the Obama administration, said that disconnect dominated the current administration’s attention for much of Thursday.

The problem “is within our power to solve,” Mr. Malinowski said, adding, “It has not gotten better.”

Maj. Gen. William Taylor told reporters on Thursday that multiple gates at the airport were now open.

The process of vetting Afghans who qualify for the special immigrant visa was dormant for nearly a year, after the State Department shut down much of its classified consular operations when the first wave of the coronavirus forced employees to work from home.

The visa system had a backlog of 17,000 cases when Mr. Biden took office in January, according to the State Department. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul resumed interviewing Afghans for the visas in February, and was processing at least 100 people each week before the pandemic halted the operation again in June.

In mid-July, the Pentagon began an expedited airlift of Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government. Under that effort, called Operation Allies Refuge, more than 2,000 Afghans were evacuated from Kabul before the Taliban closed in on the capital last week, forcing the Biden administration to temporarily abandon its visa processing and focus on ensuring that Americans could escape.

Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan Card 1 of 5

Who are the Taliban? The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more on their origin story and their record as rulers.

Who are the Taliban leaders? These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be.

What happens to the women of Afghanistan? The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may be lost. Taliban officials are trying to reassure women that things will be different, but there are signs that, at least in some areas, they have begun to reimpose the old order.

Mr. Price said the State Department also had been working to find countries that would take in the evacuated Afghans who had not had time to apply for settlement elsewhere in their rush to leave the country. The governments of Albania, Uganda, Canada, Mexico and Chile had offered to take in some people for varying periods of time, he said.

Share this post