318,500 Afghans were displaced in 2021 after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, with over 74,000 refugees landing in the U.S.. Refugees were vetted, moved to military bases, and then placed in temporary housing across the country – with Santa Clarita taking in significant numbers. Now, refugees must navigate obstacles as they rebuild their lives in an unfamiliar yet welcoming land.

Comprehensive support

After Afghan refugees are placed in hotels across California, they have 90 days to find jobs and permanent housing – with support from the International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) available. “The last thing we want is for anyone to end up homeless on the street because we couldn’t find housing,” says Alex Nguyen, IILA development director. “So, we have a lot of different safety nets in place to ensure that doesn’t happen.” Each refugee is also given over $1000, and, in California, they also receive EBT cards and free health insurance. Immigration lawyers are also on hand to help refugees understand their rights, the Nunez Law Firm explains. Asylum or refugee status must be applied for within one year of entering the U.S.

Local support

The Santa Clarita community provided the Afghan refugees with a warm welcome. The Islamic Center of Santa Clarita fundraised in the form of zakat: a pillar of Islam that requires Muslims to donate 2.5% of their wealth to those in need. “We’ve been involved to make sure we can help remove obstacles,” said Abdo Jaber, who sits on the organization’s board of directors. Jaber also said many of the refugees are professionals (like engineers and dentists) who are also “exceptionally well-motivated to find jobs [and] very anxious to remove uncertainty from their lives.” Additionally, the College of the Canyons also provided refugees with free courses, laptops, and bus passes.

Potential challenges

Nevertheless, refugees still experience challenges. For example, family members may be separated if they’re provided with different case numbers. “We are given very little background information on relationships between different cases,” Nguyen said. “We don’t necessarily know that they are in the same family, so that’s part of the reason why some cousins, some distant relatives, some adult children might get separated. We try to place folks wherever there are hotel rooms available, immediately.” Moreover, refugee resettlement agencies across the country had been shut down under Trump. “Resources for refugee resettlement were drastically cut,” Inlender said. “So you’re already dealing with a system that was sort of weakened at the knees before.”

“Left in limbo”

“Those folks did not come in with refugee status but with a form of temporary relief called parole … which allowed people to apply for work authorization for temporary periods,” says Talia Inlender, Deputy Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the University of California. “It’s not a path toward refugee status. It’s not a path toward long-term lawful permanent residence. And so people have been left in this sort of limbo.” Inlender says better protection is needed. “We know that these are people that unfortunately may never be able to return to their homeland, and we have an obligation to ensure that they can live here safely and permanently.”

Despite the challenges, Santa Clarita remains a sanctuary for refugees. And, according to Inlender, welcoming such a large number of Afghans has been a triumph. “Now our job is to ensure that they can stay here safely,” she said.