Kristy Afshar initially was reluctant to move to Kabul, but her husband, an Afghan citizen, assured her that the city was safe under the American-backed government.
“You’ll be fine,” Faramarz Afshar said. “If you trust me, come.”
And she did.
“It’s a huge culture shock,” Kristy said. “You have to make some major lifestyle changes.”
But Faramarz was right. She felt safe and found work teaching English.
Seven years later, however, American forces withdrew and the Taliban took control of the capital.
“We locked our doors and didn’t go anywhere,” Kristy said. “People told me, ‘You’re an American woman. They won’t kill you, but they might kidnap you.’ We didn’t know what they would do.”
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In late August, the couple rushed to the Kabul airport with their 2-year-old daughter to be flown to the United States. As U.S. citizens, Kristy and her child were allowed to continue on to Tulsa, where she has relatives. But Faramarz had to remain at a refugee camp at a U.S. military base.
Phone calls always ended with their daughter in tears, he said.
“It got to where I didn’t want to call because she would get so upset when we had to hang up,” he said. “And then I would have to cry over here, too.”
With help from Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, the family reunited Tuesday afternoon as Faramarz arrived at Tulsa International Airport. The couple will be provided temporary lodging and, eventually, a fully furnished apartment as well as assistance finding jobs, Catholic Charities said.
Meanwhile, Faramarz will be getting acquainted with his new home, admitting Tuesday that he knew only one thing about Tulsa.
“They are here,” he said, pointing to his wife and daughter. “I just want us to be together.”
As the primary refugee resettlement agency for Oklahoma, Catholic Charities has been asked by the U.S. State Department to help relocate 800 Afghan citizens to the Tulsa area. More than 200 have already arrived.
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With American troops gone and the Taliban now in charge, thousands of at-risk Afghans who worked with the United States are still stranded in their home country. Some have escaped, but many in the U.S. want to do more to help.
Reaction from Oklahoma political leaders on Afghanistan refugees' relocation
Stitt
Gov. Kevin Stitt, pictured in Tulsa on Sept. 11, 2021, was among the first Oklahoma leaders to welcome Afghans fleeing for their lives as the last U.S. troops began withdrawing and the Taliban took over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. “I welcome Afghans fleeing the terrorist Taliban regime to come to Oklahoma and live in the freedom we hold so dearly,” the Republican governor said in a tweet on Aug. 18. “My office is exploring every possible avenue to help to ensure no American citizen nor any of our allies are left behind.”
Lankford
Republican U.S. Sen James Lankford, pictured in Tulsa on July 23 for a news conference about illegal immigration, said: “I absolutely think that we need to continue to be able to welcome refugees from Afghanistan into Oklahoma and into the United States. When I talk to veterans of the Afghanistan war, they bring two things up to me in the past week. The first thing they'll say is how disappointed they are and how frustrated they are that it's ending this way. The second thing they say is, 'Those people that fought alongside of us, I want them to get out.'"
Cole
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said: “I am proud that the United States and our allies are helping those that have helped our service members during our time in Afghanistan escape the evil wrath of the Taliban while also ensuring they are vetted for security and medical risks. I urge all Oklahomans to welcome these refugees from the Taliban to our state and to our communities.”
Dahm
Sen. Nathan Dahm, a Republican from Broken Arrow, said the congressional delegation should propose changes to the federal law on refugee resettlement to give states more input. “Every member of our federal delegation in Congress has the opportunity to work to address this,” Dahm said. “It’s time they put the people of Oklahoma and America first and at very least allow us to have a say on who is relocated into our State.”
Lahmeyer
Lankford’s announced primary opponent, Jackson Lahmeyer of Owasso, has been critical of the relocations. In a tweet, he said: “1,800 Afghans could potentially arrive in Oklahoma. The Biden Administration has NO WAY to fully vet these refugees. Yet James Lankford still wants them to come into our communities.”
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