Afghan refugees have arrived in Fresno and more are expected soon. Here’s how to help

Eight Afghan refugees arrived in Fresno last week and more are expected at the end of this month, according to Bethany Christian Services, the lead organization helping them get resettled in Fresno.

Up to 75 are expected to arrive in the central San Joaquin Valley city by the end of the year or early next year, said Sandra Hiatt, branch director of Bethany Christian Services of Northern California.

There are two families of four, including children, currently staying in Airbnb rentals using donated credits, Hiatt said. Long-term rentals are still needed.

They were previously living on U.S. military bases. They already had family or friends in Fresno, and have received help “with material needs and shopping” from a local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hiatt said.

Hiatt said she doesn’t know how many more could arrive later this month, or where they will live, but said Airbnbs could be used again. Bethany Christian Services is contracted by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which has the contract with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement.

A pressing need is getting more housing, what could include discounted or donated rentals, or landlords willing to rent without a credit check, Hiatt said.

Allison Preston-Smith, a spokesperson for Bethany Christian, described refugees as the most vetted travelers to the United States.

“They are screened by eight federal agencies,” Preston-Smith said, “six different security databases, two inter-agency security checks, as well as multiple medical screenings in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) all before they land on U.S. soil.”

Preston-Smith said they “are expected to be fully sustainable and self-sufficient within 90 days of entering the country, but additional needs and issues can arise after the 90-day period is over.”

It’s unclear what government support they are receiving or are eligible for. Hiatt said volunteers are working to get them connected to a variety of services.

Hiatt said those Bethany Christian workers are helping in Fresno come through a humanitarian parole program, what the government describes as being allowed into the U.S. for a temporary period due to urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

“Individuals granted humanitarian parole are eligible for work authorization in the United States but are not eligible for refugee resettlement programs or other federal benefits,” the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants reported.

“In general, parolees must apply for more permanent immigration status to remain in the U.S. for longer than a short period,” the National Immigration Forum reported.

Those entering with humanitarian parole and special visas are still broadly considered refugees, and are described that way by Bethany Christian, which has resettled nearly 250 Afghan refugees in cities around the country.

Hiatt didn’t share details about the two Afghan families who recently arrived in Fresno, but added “they are amazing.” Interpreters have been used to communicate with them. Hiatt said a couple speak limited English, and that she was told many of the others coming soon speak English.

“Behind every face we see and every name we read, there is a story of resilience and determination,” Hiatt wrote in an October Valley Voices column in The Fresno Bee, asking Fresno residents to help Afghan refugees. “Mothers fled with children in their arms in the middle of the night. Fathers helped their families escape to the airport and spent days or weeks sleeping on the floor until they were all able to board a plane headed for safety.

“They fled traumatic and dangerous situations that most of us could never imagine, amidst gunfire and at the center of international media attention. They are not just a news story — they are men, women, and children who chose to fight for their survival and lost their homes and their communities.”

Daughter of refugees: Crisis remains in Afghanistan and on bases

Farhat Hanifi of Clovis, whose parents came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in the 1980s as refugees, said they received little government support then, and those now entering under humanitarian parole receive even less.

Hanifi has a number of family members still stuck in Afghanistan – among thousands who have been waiting months for humanitarian parole applications to be reviewed, which cost $575 per person to submit. The Associated Press recently reported that only about 100 of more than 28,000 Afghans who applied for temporary admission into the U.S. this way have been approved.

Hanifi said one of her family members stuck in hiding in Afghanistan worked closely with the American government there, providing intelligence about the Taliban.

“His life is at risk,” Hanifi said, “but because he didn’t work directly with a U.S. agency, but worked collaboratively with them, he cannot get any of the advanced visas, and so the only pathway for him (to come to the U.S.) has been to apply as a humanitarian parolee.”

She said a couple female cousins haven’t left their homes since the Taliban took over. One was in engineering school, and the other recently graduated and wanted to work as an OB-GYN doctor, helping pregnant women in rural villages.

Other concerns: Hanifi said there’s no way to send money to those stuck in Afghanistan, and some of the U.S. military bases where refugees are now living, awaiting placement in communities, are unsanitary and lacking in supplies, including blankets.

Central San Joaquin Valley has diverse groups to welcome them

Hanifi said while Fresno doesn’t have a huge Afghan-American community, it does have a good track record of welcoming diverse groups, including Hmong refugees, and that’s encouraging. Some Syrian refugees came to Fresno several years ago.

“Look at how much our diversity has enriched our Valley,” said Hanifi, who works in philanthropy. “We have so many different groups of people here from every walk of life and range of education and occupation. Immigration has improved America.”

Hiatt said more than 55,000 Afghan people are living on U.S. military bases now who need to be placed in communities around the country. The crisis inspired Bethany Christian to apply for a contract to help them via Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services.

Hiatt said she learned at the start of this month that Afghan refugees would be coming to Fresno. There’s still a lot to figure out, and a lot of unknowns among organizations and agencies that are eager to help.

Bethany Christian Services of Northern California is based in Modesto, although Hiatt lives in Fresno. The nonprofit organization with social service programs around the world hasn’t done refugee resettlement in Fresno before, but previously helped find homes in the region for unaccompanied minors, Hiatt said.

Hiatt said she’s also working with other groups that have been helping refugees in Fresno for longer, including Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Services (FIRM) that was incorporated in 1994.

“FIRM has never been a resettlement agency, and has always worked closely with all resettlement agencies to welcome refugees to our community,” an October update from FIRM reads. “We continue to do so.”

There are a limited number of resettlement agencies nationally, chosen by the Department of State.

FIRM said it’s working closely with Bethany Christian, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno and others to welcome “these new Americans” to Fresno and offer resources and services.

There’s been a few weekly meetings among these groups and others. Sukaina Hussain, CAIR’s deputy executive director for Sacramento Valley/Central California, is working to increase the number of participating groups and make it a more formal coalition, modeled after others in Southern California and Sacramento, where many Afghan refugees have already settled.

It’s being called an ANSAR Coalition. It stands for American Network of Services for Afghan Refugees, but is also a play on the word “Ansar,” Arabic for “the helpers” in Islamic tradition.

Hussain said it’s helpful for the support circle to also include cultural competency knowledge, including nuances of the Islamic faith, and interpreters. Dari and Pashto are two of the main languages spoken in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Bahrami, a division and equity manager with the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, is among those attending the weekly meetings about how to help refugees. He said most should be eligible for services through his department, which would vary depending on individual needs. His department has translated some local public health information into a couple languages spoken in Afghanistan to help.

“We do seek to have all services be trauma informed and culturally responsive,” said Bahrami, who added he recommended the Fresno County Trauma and Resilience Network as one resource that might be utilized for additional training for volunteers.

How to help Afghan refugees in Fresno, California

For those interested in volunteering or donating, here’s how to contact some organizations helping Afghan refugees in Fresno.

Bethany Christian Services: People can sign-up to volunteer on Bethany.org/Afghanistan. The website has an Amazon wish list of items for refugees in Fresno that can be purchased online. Bethany Christian also is looking to fill a few new job positions to help Afghan refugees in Fresno, listed on its website, including a couple case managers. Hiatt is currently serving in that capacity. Fresno office: 559-432-9696.

Council on American-Islamic Relations: CAIR has a Google form where volunteers can sign-up to help: bit.ly/fresno-afghan-support. A website is pending for the new ANSAR Coalition. More contacts: info@sacval.cair.com, 559-550-0819.

Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries: FIRM shared a Google doc where people can share leads for housing: bit.ly/FresnoHousingForAfghans. “The biggest and most urgent need is for housing,” but household goods and clothes can also be dropped off between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at FIRM, 1940 N. Fresno St., Fresno, but people should call 559-487-1500 before dropping off furniture due to storage constraints, said Christine Barker, FIRM’s executive director.