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Working Toward Humanitarian Parole for an Afghan Family

10/14/2022 10:42:46 AM

Oct14

by Lynn Silverman and Erica Serlin

In July 2022 the Temple Beth El Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team invited Carmel Capati, the lead immigration lawyer with the Catholic Multicultural Center, to speak about humanitarian parole for Afghans who want to come to the United States and what it would mean to provide financial sponsorship for someone seeking humanitarian parole. 

Ms. Capati told the heartbreaking story of a 13-year-old boy who had been separated from his parents when the airport in Afghanistan was bombed during the evacuation. Although this boy was rescued by an American marine and brought to the US, his parents and four siblings are still in Afghanistan. Their only hope of being reunited is through a process called “humanitarian parole,” which includes a pledge of financial sponsorship for each family member as an essential component of the application. 

After hearing the story and gaining an understanding of what sponsoring a family would mean, a group of us agreed to help this family achieve their goal of reunification. The group includes several of our Temple members, members of the two other Jewish congregations in Madison, members of three churches, and other members of the Dane Sanctuary Coalition. A local church will be sponsoring two family members, and several group members agreed to complete the paperwork to become official sponsors for the remaining four. Others in our group of 13 have agreed to contribute financially and to support this family in other ways (providing transportation, mentoring, etc.) as they adjust to a whole new culture and begin a new life. 

Unfortunately, only 2% of Afghan humanitarian parole applications have been approved nationally, but three have recently been approved for a different family in Dane County. We plan to do what we can to facilitate this family’s chance of reunification!

We’ll be meeting approximately monthly to explore providing other forms of support and assistance if and when this family arrives (which could take months to years). They will probably also be eligible for resettlement services through Jewish Social Services, Open Doors for Refugees, and the Dane County Immigration Affairs Office. 

Please contact Erica Serlin or Lynn Silverman if you would like to join us or would like to learn more about this important project.
 

March 29, 2024 19 Adar II 5784