Couple fled to Modesto from Afghanistan. They had to leave their little girls behind
The separation anxiety is almost unbearable for two parents from Afghanistan who came to Modesto a month ago.
Basir and Amina Adel took advantage of their only chance of leaving Afghanistan on a special immigration visa, which are approved for Afghan nationals whose lives are threatened because they worked for the United States.
For some reason, visas were not approved for their daughters, ages 5 and 8. As the time on the parents’ visas ticked away, the father and mother made frantic attempts to learn the status of their children’s applications and were barred from visiting the U.S. Embassy in Afghan capital of Kabul.
With only two days left on their visas, the parents made the difficult decision to board a plane and leave their kids in one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Today, the girls, Helya and Hela, are locked inside a home with a grandmother some 7,400 miles from their parents in Modesto.
The Afghan family and others familiar with the case can’t fathom a reason for delays in getting the children’s visas approved, other than the extremely thorough vetting process for people seeking asylum under the Trump administration.
“They are children,” Amina Adel said. “They are not a danger to anyone.”
Amina, who arrived in Modesto with her husband Jan. 24, is concerned her youngest daughter looks depressed and doesn’t speak properly when they talk with the children on Skype. The parents said it’s not safe for the kids to venture outside to play.
The results of a recent national election has made the conditions more unstable in Afghanistan. The current president, Ashraf Ghani, was recently declared the winner but a political rival has not accepted the outcome.
Amina said this week their 5-year-old Hela has a birthday on Friday. The family has put their party plans on hold.
The refugee resettlement organization, World Relief Modesto, has been unable to learn the status of the children’s visa applications and earlier this month asked for assistance from Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock.
The congressman’s staff contacted the State Department and received the standard response the girls’ visas were under review in accordance with national security assessments.
After numerous calls to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a Harder staff member finally got through Tuesday to an official in charge of visas there, learning the case is under review and the time sensitivity is understood. The congressman’s office continues to work on reuniting the family.
“People who risked their lives — and their families’ lives to help American service members and our diplomats in Afghanistan deserve to be brought to safety,” Harder said. “They helped us and now it’s time for us to help them.”
The congressman said it’s ridiculous the Afghan family was given the runaround. “With enough persistence we’re finally seeing some movement. We need to bring these girls to their (parents) immediately,” Harder said.
Amina assisted the United States with economic development efforts in Afghanistan and also worked for a project promoting women’s leadership in the developing nation. Her husband was an Afghan government employee.
Helping to run exhibitions is not a dangerous job in most countries of the world. In Afghanistan, however, the Taliban and other groups may intimidate or kill Afghans who assist the U.S. military and its mission.
Amina said when the girls were in school in Afghanistan, she and the girls walked different routes to the school out of fear of being followed.
The parents said the visa application process for the family went smoothly through the medical clearance and then hit a snag for the kids. The parents had four months to leave the country when their visas were approved in the fall.
They sent emails and made online inquires about their daughters’ status and never received responses.
Sarah Williams, a specialist for World Relief Modesto, said as far as she knows the parents were not given the option of extending their visas and avoiding the dilemma of separating the family. They weren’t getting anywhere with the official process.
Williams said that Afghan nationals granted SIV status deserve support from the U.S. government and the community in Stanislaus County. “They are supporting us over there and supporting our military and are putting their lives in harms way,” Williams said.
Basir said the family separation and waiting game is maddening. He wished he knew if a family relationship or something in his background caused a hangup for his daughters. He expects to receive a Green Card soon and may then return to Afghanistan to try to get the process moving.
It would likely put the father’s life in danger because he worked for the Afghan government, Williams said.
The World Relief staffer said there was one previous instance of a resettled family leaving a 17-year-old boy behind with relatives due to visa issues. It took 10 months to straighten out the case. Stanislaus County has been a hub for refugee resettlements for years.
Basir and Amina received the update from Harder’s office on Tuesday, making them hopeful. During their long-distance chat Wednesday, the oldest daughter asked her parents when they would bring her passport and reunite the family.
Both of the parents have university degrees and are fluent in English, giving them good prospects for careers in the United States. Originally from Pakistan, Amina received a childhood education and attended a university in Italy.
“It was a very hard as a mother to make this decision (to leave Afghanistan),” Amina said. “I thought, OK, our kids will suffer for 10 days or so but then their entire lives will be better.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
