Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of the fall of the Afghan government and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban to control the country. Since then, more than 650 Afghans have settled in Vermont, per capita one of the largest populations of any state. Many had aided the U.S. military and diplomats, and have family members remaining in Afghanistan.
Vermont Afghan Alliance Executive Director Ellen Yount told WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that a large percentage of those who resettled in Vermont were there when the government fell.
We've all seen those harrowing images of planes leaving the airport, people struggling to get to the airport, struggling to get on planes. And many of our staff have very harrowing stories. Many of our community members have very harrowing stories. So I can tell you that they're very happy to be here in Vermont and obviously very appreciative of the welcome that Vermont has given them.
Ellen Yount, you mentioned that some of your staff describe some harrowing experiences. What do they describe and can you explain how it eventually affected them?
We have four Afghan staff. They all worked in varying degrees, with the exception of one who was here in college at the time, when the Taliban took power. But they worked for U.S.-funded projects. So they were targeted and their families were targeted from the Taliban because anyone that was seen as working for the U.S. government in any way, shape, or form was viewed as an enemy of the state. So they lived with fear and uncertainty. Many of them went into hiding. Some of their family members have faced ongoing threats from the Taliban. We have one staff member whose family was close to coming here to join him and then the Trump travel ban on all Afghans coming to the United States took effect. Family separation is a huge issue. It's a heartbreaking issue for our staff and for Afghan family, Afghan community members, excuse me, who left behind wives, husbands, children, moms and dads, siblings and some of our clients have been separated from their families for five years now. So that's particularly tough. I mean, resettlement was already difficult coming to the United States and perhaps not speaking the language. But then, when you factor in that they're not here with their family members, it's a really heartbreaking that I see almost on a daily basis at the alliance.
While the Vermont Afghan Alliance is providing services, federal funding, along with many other groups, have been cut. So, Ellen Yount, how is that affecting your services and operations going forward?
Well, it's affecting us quite significantly. Through no fault of our own we are losing all of our federal funding. This was funding that was approved by the Biden administration back in 2023. And I think it's important for your listeners to remember, Pat, that these Afghans coming to the United States, this was something that was done with full bipartisan support in Congress. They had the backing to come here. We provided those planes. We got them out. We helped with resettlement. So this funding expires at the end of 2026 and then the federal government also provided back in 2023 funding to the states that they could then award to different entities and we were fortunate through the state refugee office to start getting some of that funding in 2023. But that expires as well at the end of 2026. So we are really facing a large budget shortfall, a large budget gap, as we head into 2027. And we know that Vermonters have been extremely generous in the past and we really hope that on this fifth-year anniversary, they will recognize the sacrifices that Afghans made on behalf of us, on behalf of the United States, and will be willing to contribute so that we can continue to provide our services throughout 2027.
Ellen, do the Afghanistans living in Vermont now regret coming to the U.S.?
That's a great question, Pat. But I would say no. I talk to a lot of Afghans when they're in the office. I think they're happy to be here. It's a safe place to be. We can look to Washington and say a lot of what's happening in Washington is very detrimental. It creates a lot of unnecessary fear and uncertainty. But they have felt welcomed here. I don't think they regret it. I know they miss their home a great deal because of their family members being there. But returning to Afghanistan right now with the Taliban in control is not a viable option for them. They would face possible death. They would certainly face jail time. And it's just not realistic for many of them to go back.
Following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, more than 200,000 Afghans left the country and resettled in the United States. Yount notes that the US had a presence in Afghanistan for 21 years.
