As a way to extend the humanitarian outreach to Afghan nationals who arrived and worked in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) will be able to re-parole beginning in June, utilizing online and paper filing to extend their right to live and work legally.
OAW was created in 2021 as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program to coordinate support for vulnerable Afghans looking to resettle, particularly those who worked alongside or supported U.S. efforts in their home country over the past 20 years of occupation and operations. Tens of thousands of Afghan nationals resettled in the United States and continued to after the operation was renamed Enduring Welcome, alluding to the lack of an end date.
Candidates are vetted for safety, security, and well-being, but relief for Afghans remains the focus of the ongoing effort. Each is considered on a case-by-case basis for both urgent humanitarian reasons and significant public benefit, but specifics of the process for the re-parole effort have yet to be released.
The Biden administration has pressed Congress to pass an adjustment act for a more durable, streamlined immigration pathway for those currently in parole, but in lieu of that, has released these new re-parole details and encouraged Afghan nationals to pursue permanent status, as through Special Immigrant and Asylum processes.
Beginning this month, DHS will also host Afghan Support Centers across the country, staffed with government and governmental organization staff, to supply information regarding immigration and social services available for those who arrived through OAW and EW. The first will be launched in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 17, with others to follow in Arizona this month, but additional Afghan Support Centers should be announced in the weeks ahead.