Local veteran irate about Afghanistan evacuation process pleads for help for stranded Afghan translators
By BETSY WEBSTER
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KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) — On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) wrote a letter signed by more than 50 senators from both sides of the aisle urging President Biden to cut the red tape and get people out of Afghanistan; both Americans and Afghans who helped them during the 20 years the United States military was there.
One local veteran is making it his mission to do so for a translator who served in his unit, the 101st Airborne.
That translator is on the run, hiding out in Kabul, waiting for his Special Immigration Visa or SIV. For his safety and his family’s, we’re not using his name.
The local infantryman turned lawyer, who has been using his legal skills to try to help, arranged a Zoom interview with the translator and The University of Missouri School of Journalism’s KOMU, which was shared with KCTV5.
“The Taliban, they are checking every vehicle, checking even their pockets, their mobile phones,” the translator described.
Looking, he says, for anything in English.
“They think that we support the infidels,” he said.
“It makes me feel like our honor is in question right now,” said retired Staff Sargent Shawn Lee.
Lee served in Afghanistan in 2010. He’s been trying to get help from the U.S. Department of State and Missouri lawmakers: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.)
“Thus far, the answers that I’ve received have been, you know, genuine interest by their offices, but no real plans, no real response that is going to somehow save this man from certain death,” Lee said.
Translator Zamzama Safi left Kabul on Sunday. She’s now in Washington, D.C. and planning to move to St. Louis.
Cleaver’s staff began working on her SIV a full year ago. Cleaver called the process broken.
“If everything goes well, it would take 800 days,” Cleaver said. “And that’s just obscene.”
Lee has been trying for much longer.
“We’ve been trying to get this SIV application moving for six straight years,” he said.
Beyond the red tape, there are other problems.
Journalists on the ground in Kabul report the Taliban has armed guards at the gates of the airport there. Streets are jammed. The airport is packed with thousands of people.
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Lee’s translator friend tried to make it but turned back when he saw the Taliban checking cars, fearful his paperwork would get him killed. Before fleeing, he told his kids and sisters to stay away.
“I just left them in the house and told them, ‘Do not open the door to anybody,’” he said.
Cleaver acknowledged his office was contacted about that man but had no details beyond that, just a plea to those in power to act swiftly.
“Get them to some other place, and then try to figure out how to go through this complex and broken system, but [what] you’re trying to do at the airport is suicidal at this point,” Cleaver said.
Lee acknowledged the need for vetting. When he served in Afghanistan, there were situations where Afghans who purported to be allies turned on American troops. But, he asserts most of those who assisted are smart, talented and motivated.
“We want them to come to America to contribute to America,” Lee said. “And what we really, really do not want is for them to be murdered arbitrarily because they do not agree with the Taliban.”
A representative with the Blunt’s office said their staff has heard from Lee and are in touch with the State Department. Blunt and Moran echoed Cleaver’s sentiment about cutting the red tape and doing checks later, elsewhere.
On Tuesday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) launched an email address for Kansans seeking evacuation assistance from Afghanistan. That includes both American citizens and Afghan SIV applicants. You can go to EvacHelp@Marshall.Senate.Gov or call (785)829-9000.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) provided resources for those seeking help with evacuation and for veterans who are struggling with the emotions that could surface due to the current situation. Below are some resources she provided.
• Folks in need of more information about evacuation can reach out to Rep. Davids’ office or visit the State Department website and fill out the Repatriation Assistance Request form.”
• For veterans experiencing mental health or PTSD needs, go to davids.house.gov/helpforvets for local resources, or veterans.house.gov/mental-health-resources-for-veterans for broader/national resources.
• For folks seeking assistance with evacuation from Afghanistan, for themselves or loved ones, go to af.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-kabul-august-18-2021 for information and to fill out the Repatriation Assistance Request.
• For folks seeking assistance with an approved petition or pending case for a Special Immigrant Visa: please email NVCSIV@state.gov or call 1-603-334-0828 and provide your U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receipt number, full name, and date of birth.
• With further questions, KS-03 residents can call Rep. Davids office at (913) 621-0832.
The full text of the letter from Moran, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (R-N.H.) and 50 Senate colleagues can be found here.
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