Helping those inside, and outside, our borders
(Gareth Henderson Photo)
It’s been an honor to recognize how Vermonters have helped each other, but today we’d like to highlight how the state has extended a helping hand to those from outside the Green Mountains.
The state of Vermont is hoping to take in up to 100 refugees from Afghanistan who are fleeing the danger they face back home now that the Taliban are in power. A number of volunteers and businesses have reportedly offered to help refugees who end up settling in Vermont.
The last U.S. soldiers departed Afghanistan on Monday, following the collapse of the Afghan government in August and the Taliban’s rapid takeover. From Aug. 14 to 31, the U.S. evacuated more than 122,000 individuals from Kabul airport, including 6,000 U.S. citizens, according to news reports. Thirteen U.S. service members died in a suicide bombing at the airport on Aug. 26, while the evacuation effort was in its final days.
The U.S. is currently housing 20,000 Afghan evacuees in five states, with another 40,000 overseas.
On Wednesday, the Vermont office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants said it submitted a proposal to the State Department, WCAX reported. That came after Vermont Gov. Phil Scott recently told the White House his administration would like to help with the resettlement.
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released a statement of support on Wednesday. He noted, as the governor has, that a number of these refugees helped the U.S. during the Afghanistan War over the past two decades.
“I am gratified that Vermont is volunteering to welcome and resettle one hundred Afghans who have fled their country in recent weeks,” Leahy said. “Many of these Afghans supported the U.S. military and our government over the past two decades, risking their lives and the safety of their families. Vermonters recognize that it is our moral obligation to provide them refuge from retaliation and persecution by the Taliban and other extremist groups in Afghanistan.”
He added, “Vermont has a long history of warmly welcoming refugees who have become an integral part of communities across our state. They have made Vermont stronger. It is fitting that Vermont is stepping up yet again to offer safe haven to vulnerable Afghans in their hour of need.”
For some here in the Green Mountains, the current situation in Afghanistan is a personal, heartbreaking struggle to help family and friends escape the country. Vermont Public Radio spoke to Wazir, who is working to get his family out of Kabul (his last name was withheld for his family’s protection). Wazir left Afghanistan at age 16, went to college in Vermont and now runs a business in the state. Like others who have settled here and made their home in Vermont, he is part of our community, and now, he faces the challenge of helping his family come here so they, too, can experience a new sense of security and success.
Many are working and praying to help people like Wazir’s family and others who seek refuge and a new life outside Afghanistan. We hope these kind, steadfast efforts help them find a path to safety and fulfillment, despite current obstacles. We hope the love being expressed to them from afar helps build the path to freedom they earnestly seek.
— Gareth Henderson
