Stories of Change

Image of a family from Afghanistan in search of safety
A Family’s Fight for Safety After U.S. Refugee Ban
Trigger Warning: This story includes graphic depictions of violence.
Mursal and Ahmad were evacuated from Kabul in August 2021 as the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. After two months in Qatar, three months on a military base in New Jersey, and another three months in a hotel in Silver Spring, Maryland, they were finally resettled in North Carolina in May 2022. The couple fled their home country because they had worked alongside the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Shortly after arriving in Durham, Mursal gave birth to their first child. Last year, she began working as a paralegal, supporting other refugees navigating the immigration system. After two and a half years in the Triangle, Ahmad says, “We feel safe. But the only thing we are not comfortable with is our family.”
When the Taliban took over, Ahmad’s brother, who had worked with the U.S. embassy, did not make it onto an evacuation flight. He and his family fled Afghanistan on their own, seeking safety in another Middle Eastern country. They had been moving smoothly through the refugee resettlement process there, waiting for their final travel notification—until the executive order halting all refugee admissions was issued.
Ahmad explains, “[My brother] cannot go back to Afghanistan. If he returns, they will kill him.” But the country where they sought refuge is no longer extending their visas. Now, they live in constant fear of police and deportation. They rarely leave their home and struggle to access food and medicine. Their children are unable to attend school.
“I’m in a situation where we are not able to do anything for them,” Ahmad says. “They have four children and are living in one bedroom—six people in one room. The kids can’t go to school. Even my youngest nephew, when he talks to me, sounds depressed. He keeps saying, ‘I want to get to the U.S.’ He’s always on the phone, worrying about the future, instead of playing like a kid should.”
“[My brother] is a hard worker and will be a great addition to this country. He just needs shelter.”
Two months ago, Mursal’s cousin, who had served in the Afghan military, was brutally killed by the Taliban. Now, Mursal and Ahmad fear their family members waiting overseas may face the same fate if the resettlement process does not reopen.
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Note: stock image has been used to protect the identity of the individuals in this story