Ahmad

Ahmad* is an Afghan refugee whom RILA represents. His family is still in Kabul, and we are working to reunite them so that they will be safe. We asked Ahmad to share his story of seeking refuge; here it is, in his own words. 

Since I was a kid, I thought that my country deserved more work. When I completed my master’s degree abroad in 2019, many people encouraged me to not go to my country as the security situation deteriorated, but I decided to go to my country as I felt my country needed me. 

When I returned to Afghanistan, I started working for the values that I think were important for my people and country. I joined a nonprofit organization that was working for girls’ education. Democracy, freedom of speech, and equal rights for men and women are the values that I strongly believe in, and I enjoy working to achieve these values. I used every stage to increase public awareness of these values. From Facebook, Twitter, and local newspapers to local TV, I used every stage to raise our voices. 

These actions were not in favor of the Taliban and religious radicals. They thought that I was working for Western values and trying to bring Western culture to Afghanistan. Some religious people started hating me. They warned me several times that I should stop working for Western values. 

In 2020, I started working in a senior position with the government of Afghanistan. My job put me even at more risk. The Taliban were badly trying to harm me. Every morning, when I was leaving home, I did not think that I would be returning home alive in the evening. Between 2019 and 2021 I changed my living address four times. 

Just a week before the collapse of Kabul, the Taliban hunted me and opened fire on my vehicle, trying to kill me. Fortunately, my car was bulletproof and I survived that attack. Even an armed attack did not affect my determination to serve my people. 

As I was supposed to join a training in DC on August 16, 2021, I came to the United States on August 12.  When I was leaving the country, some of the provinces of Afghanistan fell to the hands of the Taliban but no one expected the Taliban would take over Afghanistan as quickly as they did. 

Sunday, August 15 was one of the darkest days I have ever seen in my life. It was 3 AM and I could not go to bed because my sleep time was not adjusted to the new time zone. My brother called me. He told me that he was in his office and receiving the news that the Taliban were entering Kabul city. I was shocked. I told him to hide in a place and ask my parents, my wife, and my kids to stay home. Later I saw videos of Taliban militants walking in the streets of Kabul. When Kabul fell, my heart fell too. For a week, I was lost. I could not find myself. I could not attend the training because mentally I was not ready for that. 

After the collapse of Kabul, for the first time, I realized that I was homeless. 

After a week, I called my Afghan friend who was living in Texas to help me find a place to live because I could not afford to stay at a hotel anymore. He introduced me to his friend, Jameel, who was living in Virginia. Jameel picked me up from the hotel and drove me to his house. I stayed one week in his house and then moved to a place he rented for me. 

When I moved to the new place, I had two main concerns: first, to find a job to survive, and second, to find a way to adjust my legal status. For my legal status, I had to apply for asylum. To apply for asylum, I had to apply through a lawyer who could help me file my asylum because I was not familiar with the legal immigration system of the United States. I talked to some lawyers online but the service fees were too much. They were charging from $5000-$7000 for asylum applications. This much money was too much for me; I could not pay my rent. 

One day, when I was talking to my friend and expressing my concern regarding my asylum application, he mentioned that some organizations provide free legal assistance. That was good news for me. I found some of these organizations and sent emails to them. One of these organizations was RILA.

Jason from RILA contacted me the next day and asked for an informative interview. In our informative interview, I explained my situation, and he promised that he would let me know if they could handle my case. After a week, he informed me that they would help me file my asylum. I was very happy and thanked Jason. The next week, I met my representative, Michelle Swearingen, who was a very hard-working and kind woman. From the first day, Michelle was very supportive. She guided me very well. Because of her good work, my asylum was approved in four months.

I will be always thankful to Michelle, Jason, and all RILA staff for their hard work. Only an immigrant like me knows the importance of their services. These kinds of organizations are a good picture of American society. It shows how American society is soft-hearted, supportive, and generous.

*Name has been changed.