End of legal protections for Afghans bringing 'fear' to community in Minnesota

[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC] ANGELA DAVIS: It's our top story this afternoon. The Department of Homeland Security is terminating the temporary protected status program for Afghan refugees, a move that could lead to the deportation of thousands of them from the US, including right here in Minnesota. TPS protects migrants who cannot return to their home country due to unsafe conditions, like war or natural disasters. In a statement released this week, DHS said temporary protected status for Afghans will expire on May 20, that's next week. And the program will be eliminated in July.

Joining me to break down what this means for Afghan people living here in Minnesota is Nasreen Sajady, the executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society in Minneapolis. Thank you for your time this afternoon, Nasrin.

NASREEN SAJADY: Thank you for having me.

ANGELA DAVIS: I don't know this was something that you were expecting coming down the pipeline or what your reaction was to this news. How are you feeling?

NASREEN SAJADY: I think that we of heard the rumor. The rumors were milling. And we were a bit prepared. But I remember I had a flight on Monday, and I had turned my phone back on, and I had gotten a message from DC just saying, I'm so sorry, Nasreen, regarding this news. And I think that there is a lot of unknowns right now and a lot of trying to scramble to prepare and protect our community.

ANGELA DAVIS: And just to give people some background. When the US withdrew troops from Afghanistan, this was back in 2021, and the Taliban took over, former President Joe Biden had designated Afghan refugees for this TPS, Temporary Protected Status. Why was it so important for them to receive this status?

NASREEN SAJADY: The situation in Afghanistan is very dangerous. And those folks who put their lives on the line to support the US for over two decades, they're not safe. Their families are not safe. And it's not just those folks that supported the US, it's those folks who tried to build a different society for their community. All of those people are in danger now.

And the US evacuated many of them and brought them here. And now they're threatening to send them back? This is a very dangerous situation, a very dangerous decision. And it's another claim that the White House is making that's based on lies.

It's not a safer space. The economic situation has not improved. These are all false claims again coming from the White House.

ANGELA DAVIS: I've talked to people who were feeling guilty, right, Nasreen? That they had been able to come to the US, and that they still had family back in Afghanistan that have been extremely worried about them this entire time. And now they're learning that they may actually have to go back and rejoin their family members there. What are people saying about that? How are they feeling?

NASREEN SAJADY: I think that there's a lot of fear. People are in fear. We don't what's going to happen. This has raised a lot of questions that the US is now claiming that Afghanistan is all of a sudden safe and that the economic situation is good. What happens with folks who are still waiting for their asylum to be approved? And so there's just a lot of questions that are coming out.

People are really nervous. They have been nervous. This is just an additional weight on them that has not been necessary. This is just like another unnecessary beating of the Afghan people.

ANGELA DAVIS: What is the process like right now at Afghan Cultural Society and maybe at other organizations? Are people working together to try to find a legal help or working with individual families? What is your work looking like right now day-to-day?

NASREEN SAJADY: We are very busy. After the Resettlement Agency's funding was cut, a lot of new arrivals were just left to figure it out. And so we are getting a lot walk-ins. Every family's case is individual.

We have a lot of partners. We work with many people in this community, not just the Afghan community, but the broader community and other organizations who are helping us support the Afghan people.

There is a bit of loyalty, I have noticed, among some Americans who do feel a loyalty to the Afghan people. And they are showing up. But the more that we hear these claims from the White House claiming these things, that narrative of what's happening in Afghanistan, they're trying to shift it. And it's untrue. And I am concerned that we will lose support for these people in navigating their new life here, with what's happening.

ANGELA DAVIS: Do you have a sense, Nasreen, for how many Afghan people have come to Minnesota specifically?

NASREEN SAJADY: With the secondary migration of folks coming as well, I would guesstimate approximately 2,000 new folks have arrived in Minnesota. We have a good reputation here in Minnesota. A lot of people hear about the supports that we have here, and people want to come.

ANGELA DAVIS: And a lot of the supports, like you mentioned, is just families who, perhaps, haven't even been here that long, maybe a year or two, turning around and have helping families that are newly arrived. It's a community taking care of community. Where are the other places that you are looking to for assistance right now? Are you looking to the state, to lawmakers? Where are you looking?

NASREEN SAJADY: We are definitely looking within our own community. And I think I call on the Advocates for Human Rights on a regular basis, because their legal team has been so dedicated to our community. And so we call upon them often for immigration help.

ANGELA DAVIS: What do you foresee for the months ahead? What are you going to be working on? Who are you going to be calling, offices are going to be calling? Do you feel like people are mobilized enough or are you in a waiting pattern?

NASREEN SAJADY: I feel that the Afghan diaspora has been mobilizing. We've been displaced for over 50 years now. It's decades of war that have thrown people all over the world.

I feel that the Afghan community and diaspora is prepared. But it's every day there's a new fight. Someone describing Afghan as waking up and getting your heart punched every week, because there's something new that comes to us that is devastating that we have to somehow process, and then move forward, and support each other.

ANGELA DAVIS: Nasreen, I'm hearing you really say that community is stepping up to help community internally. If there are others, neighbors, Minnesotans who are listening now, how can others be helpful throughout this process?

NASREEN SAJADY: I feel at this point, a Minnesotan knows of an Afghan family. Please check in on them. Make sure they have what they need. We will always take volunteers to help us, especially helping people learn English or navigating some of these systems. We expect our workload to increase.

And unfortunately, our funding is also one of the first executive orders. It's also being cut. And so there is likely no renewal of some of these services that we're offering, specifically the social service and education navigation. And so we will need volunteers to help us with this work or we will need funding to help us keep this work going.

ANGELA DAVIS: Nasreen, thank you very much for your time this afternoon. I really appreciate it.

NASREEN SAJADY: Thank you so much.

ANGELA DAVIS: That was Nasreen Sajady, the executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society in Minneapolis.