Pfc. Aimal Taraki, who served as an interpreter alongside U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, has now become a Marine himself, Jeff Schogol writes for Task and Purpose.

After two years working with U.S. and NATO troops fighting the Taliban, Taraki obtained a visa to immigrate to the U.S. in 2018. "I decided that I can do any job and have any career, but first I want to be a Marine," Taraki said. "This way I can say thank you to the United States and the Marine Corps for helping me."

For Afghans arriving after the 2021 Taliban takeover, however, finding refuge in the U.S. is still proving to be a major challenge.

Stories like that of A. Tabesh are stark reminders of why we need an Afghan Adjustment Act. As reported by Antonio Olivo of The Washington Post, Tabesh worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and is now struggling to support his family after relocating to the U.S.

Meanwhile, an Afghan asylum-seeker who presented himself to authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022 has been flown back to the U.S. after ICE mistakenly deported him, Hamed Aleaziz of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Despite the myriad challenges to resettlement, local communities continue to welcome Afghans:

In Virginia, the Blacksburg Refugee Partnership and The Secular Society are supporting female Afghan veterans building a new life. Click through — there's a lot more to the story. (Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times)
In New York, Brooklyn Neighbors for Refugees is preparing to sponsor a second refugee family to resettle in the community. (Mary Grace Puszka, Episcopal Ministries of Long Island)
Micah Riggio speaks with one of the Afghan allies his family is hosting in a youth-produced story for KUOW.

Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Clara Villatoro, Joanna Taylor and Thea Holcomb. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].

‘THEY TREAT US LIKE DOGS’ — U.S. Border Patrol is holding some asylum-seekers in "an open-air holding cell between the two layers of border wall … with no shelter, no food and minimal water" for days, Kate Morrissey reports for the San Diego Union-Tribune. "There are no rights for humans now," said Obaidullah, a former Afghan translator for the U.S. Army, while trapped with more than 100 other asylum-seekers. "They treat us like dogs, like animals."

DACA HEALTH CARE — The Biden administration is expanding access to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Rafael Bernal reports for The Hill. The expansion will "make it easier for current beneficiaries to stay in the program and in the United States, especially as older DACA recipients reach middle age" — but as DACA continues to face legal challenges, the number of recipients is decreasing. We need permanent solutions.

DANGEROUS JOURNEYS — A new International Organization for Migration (IOM) report finds that the first quarter of 2023 was the deadliest since 2017 for migrants crossing the busy Central Mediterranean route. IOM Director General António Vitorino called the crisis "intolerable." The IOM cites a need for greater cooperation between states, support for NGOs involved in sea rescues and "further concerted action to dismantle criminal smuggling networks."

HONORING JESUS — A post office in Arlington, Virginia, has been named after Jesus Collazos, a Colombian immigrant who served the city as a mail carrier for 25 years, Héctor Alejandro Arzate reports for DCist. Collazos, who died in 2020, was a "a beloved figure" on his mail route who often brought in groceries for the elderly and helped children with math homework. "Everything came out of him not because he was expecting something in return," said his daughter Vanessa. "He just wanted people to be happy."

Thanks for reading,

Dan