My name is Tess Goodman and, for a year now, I've been trying to help a former soldier with the Afghan National Army secure the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) that was promised to Afghan soldiers by the American government for assisting US forces in the war in Afghanistan. Rohin fought alongside US military members against the Taliban. He, his wife, and 7 children were left behind in Afghanistan along with thousands of other soldiers when the United States abruptly withdrew from Afghanistan in August of 2021. Since then, the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan and, because of Rohin’s support of American forces, his life has been threatened and that of his family's.

I met his 19 year old son, Ehsan, online in the Clubhouse app when he joined one of the English classes in which I was tutoring shortly before American forces withdrew from Afghanistan. When Rohin and his family were not able to get out of Afghanistan when the war ended, Ehsan reached out to me for help completing the SIV application to be admitted to the USA; the application is only available in English. Since then, we've been gathering the required documents to get the application accepted.

Since the SIV requires a letter of recommendation from one of the US military officers who worked directly with Rohin during the war, we had the difficult task of tracking one down, since their contact information wasn't known after they all left Afghanistan. After many months, and some networking with former and current military members, I was able to track down two military officers who worked with Rohin and sent them emails. Only one replied, a Lt Colonel in the US Army, and he gave us the welcomed news that he remembered Rohin and would be happy to write a recommendation letter.

Growing panicked when the SIV application kept being rejected for petty reasons, Rohin was forced to set out for the USA to seek asylum and save his family, as they have no income now. He made his way from Afghanistan to Mexico by way of Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala! His journey has been long and arduous, but, in December, I received a phone call from the US Border Patrol to confirm I knew Rohin. Next thing I know, Rohin messages and says he is only allowed a 2 day stay in the USA and then he must make his way to Kansas to be with the only American whose address he knows. We flew him to Wichita immediately.

Rohin lived with me and Brenda for a week, and through the help of an incredible woman named Danielle, who took my calls and messages on Christmas Eve(!), we found the Afghan community and other former Afghan soldiers who immigrated here after the war and they have taken Rohin under their wings.

In the last few days we got the news that the SIV application was finally accepted by the State Department. Now, we wait for approval, which can take a year or more.

We need to get a work permit for Rohin so he can start supporting his family back in Afghanistan until we can get his visa approved. He will incur legal fees for this as well as about $3,500 in attorney fees for applying for asylum if the SIV isn’t approved before the date he is last permitted to be in the United States: January 4, 2024. To support Rohin and his family will require about $500/month until he gets a work permit.

Rohin’s 19 year old son, Ehsan, fled to Pakistan, and he is subsisting on very little. He has applied for refugee status there but the process is as slow as it is here.

Because of the legal expenditures and Rohin having to send money to Afghanistan and Pakistan to keep his family alive, I decided to start a GoFundMe for help just with Rohin and family's living expenses. Anything you contribute, regardless of amount, will be deeply appreciated by myself and Brenda as well as Rohin and his family.

We feel an obligation to help the Afghans who risked their lives for our country and did the right thing by fighting against the Taliban. That any have been left behind is a travesty.

Thank you all so much!