Help Nijat's Afghan Family Escape the Taliban

Short Version: My name is Nick Gezzar, and I am an Army combat veteran of Afghanistan. One of my best friends is my interpreter from Afghanistan, who resettled in the US, but his family is in hiding in Kabul, and they need to resettle in the US to escape the Taliban regime. Their lives are in grave danger if they remain in Kabul. I am raising funds to help them file expensive applications to USCIS, get legal representation to come to the US, get transportation to the US and resettle in America smoothly. There are thirteen family members, with three young girls who deserve to live in a country where their full human rights are recognized and respected. All proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to facilitate their evacuation and resettlement from Afghanistan.

 

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Long Version

 

When I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, it would have been impossible to do my job without interpreters who allowed me to communicate with my Afghan Army partners, local government officials and civilians. Our interpreters accompanied us into board rooms and battlefields, unarmed and at great risk to themselves and their families. Many interpreters were killed in combat, or murdered in their homes by the Taliban in retribution for working with our military.

 

During my time in Afghanistan I came to know, trust, and befriend one interpreter in particular named Nijat. He’d already been at war for over 5 years as interpreter, and continued with my Squadron for the next year. Nijat was the interpreter you always wanted with you, his expert interpretation captured the nuance of the Dari language, and his honesty meant he’d tell you exactly what was said to you. You could trust him with your life. After serving as an interpreter for the US forces for 8 years, he married his high school sweetheart, and applied for a visa to the US.

 

After his visa was approved in 2014, the Taliban ransacked his house, stole anything of value and burned what they couldn’t take with them. If he stayed, he would be killed. Nijat arrived in the US broke, with an 8-month pregnant wife. After years of hard work doing backbreaking jobs, Nijat got his CDL and began a career as a truck driver, allowing him to provide for his family of five. Nijat is achieving the American dream.

 

But this story isn’t about Nijat.

 

This is really the story of Nijat’s family. His widowed mother, his sister, his two brothers and their young families who remained in Kabul after he resettled in the US.

 

In August, a resurgent Taliban toppled the government of Afghanistan with stunning speed. After Kabul fell, Taliban targeted his brothers, as one had worked in the Afghan Army, and the other had served as contracted security for US logistics convoys. After beating him at a checkpoint, Taliban thugs followed the younger brother and looted the family home, and threatened to kill them if they stayed. They had to leave their family home and go into hiding with friends. In all this time, they clung to the hope that they could get past the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), and fly to freedom in America.

 

That didn’t happen. The airport closed. International flights ceased. The Taliban began enforcing stricter versions of their law, and the family went into hiding.

 

The options they have are unclear. We are all in uncharted territory right now. We have a moral obligation to help this family escape the oppression they face at the hand of a brutal and archaic dictatorship, and to try all means available to get them out.

 

I have made arrangements with a law firm in Seattle to represent them in their application for Afghanistan Humanitarian Parole. Paperwork with USCIS can be hard and complicated, especially when the applicants are in a foreign country. Legal representation will increase the speed and odds of success as their applications are processed through USCIS.

 

The family comprises 13 people, six adults and seven children. It is not a cheap endeavor to legally relocate thirteen human beings from Southwest Asia to the United States. I am putting together this GoFundMe to help support this family’s needs in this order:

 

1. USCIS Filing Fees

2. Attorney’s Fees

3. Travel Expenses

4. Living expenses upon arrival

 

Donations will only go to these purposes.

 

FAQ

 

1. $70,000 is a lot of money, why are you trying to raise so much?

a. That’s correct. It is a lot of money. But this is what we will need to help get them out as quickly and efficiently as possible. We’re trying to evacuate 13 people, which comes out to about $5,300 a person.

 

2. Do you have any guarantee this will work?

a. No. Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule for less than a month, circumstances are constantly changing, and nobody has any long-term experience with the current situation. We will remain flexible, and pursue whatever avenues present the highest odds of success. While American attention is focused on the crisis in Afghanistan, we expect USCIS and other government agencies to devote extra attention to this, and this window will be critical to their resettlement.

 

3. How will they even get to the USA?

a. Approval of their Humanitarian Parole documents will allow entry to the USA, and can be used as a travel document. Civilian flights out of Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) have started resuming slowly as of September 9th, and we are hoping they can get a flight out of that airport once their entry is approved. If HKIA does not have flights they can take, we will explore all available options for them to exit the country, even if not through Kabul.

 

4. What’s the plan when they get to the USA?

a. Nijat’s family will settle in Dallas, where he currently lives. This will be the ideal place for them to resettle as they will have family in the area, and a large Afghan community to welcome them.

 

5. If there’s money leftover after the filing fees, attorney fees and travel expenses, what will you do with it?

a. If there’s any money leftover from this fundraiser when they arrive in the USA, funds will be distributed equitably between the adults in the group to cover living expenses as they get on their feet in the USA. If the amount significantly exceeds what is needed for these expenses, we will evaluate the finances and donate them to Afghan Refugee supportive charities.

 

6. Is hiring a lawyer really necessary? Can’t you just file the papers yourself?

a. We can file the paperwork without legal representation. However, having legal representation increases the odds of success by minimizing the chances of administrative errors, providing them with representation should any disputes arise, and shrink the timelines for processing.

 

7. Why are you doing this?

a. Nijat risked his life alongside American Soldiers. I consider him a family member. I cannot walk away from his family in their time of need, and I know he would do the same for mine. If they stay in Afghanistan, the will have to live under the harsh regime of the Taliban, where the women will be denied their basic rights. If we succeed, they will be able to pursue their dreams in a free country where their basic human rights are recognized and respected.