Minnesotans trying to assistance people remaining guiding in Afghanistan
A Coon Rapids couple is desperately making an attempt to support their former international trade pupil escape Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover.
COON RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) – Though the concentration in Afghanistan about the last two weeks has been put on evacuating citizens and allies, hundreds far more are however trying to get out. Those with ties to the United States are now fearing the worst.
A Coon Rapids couple is desperately trying to support their former international trade university student escape.
Each and every working day Betsy and Thomas Kiekhafer are logging on to their laptop, hoping that the person on the other close carries on to answer.
“He’s attempting to remain optimistic but it is tricky you know,” claimed Betsy Kiekhafer.
For his protection FOX 9 isn’t demonstrating his experience or naming him. In 2010, the person lived with the Kiekhafers as a overseas exchange student, graduating high university in Minnesota and likely back to Afghanistan to show up at the American college.
He returned to the U.S. following graduation to obtained his Master of Organization Administration just before returning to Afghanistan just lately to be with family members.
He believes his affiliation with the U.S. tends to make him a target. He instructed Betsy in Fb messages that his makes an attempt to current his paperwork at the Kabul airport have been unsuccessful.
“He mentioned, ‘If they question if I tried using to get into the airport, I used 1 whole night outdoors a person gate and it was much too crowded to get shut,’” mentioned Betsy Kiekhafer.
The Kiekhafers reached out to numerous U.S. representatives for assistance, with Congressman Dean Phillips’ office environment delivering assistance. Rep. Phillips’ office explained to FOX 9 that following they inquired, the youthful person was put on the Precedence 2 checklist for the refugee help method.
His visa request is a single of lots of. Phillips’ place of work alone has referred much more than 1,650 names to the Condition Office in the past two weeks. The congressman explained they have five caseworkers in his workplace assigned to these requests. They are at this time performing on much more than 60 conditions involving a lot more than 500 persons.
With the U.S. military services leaving the state, they notice the time he has to get out may perhaps be jogging out.
“Well, I think it helps make it far more challenging, but I believe there’s even now hope,” claimed Thomas Kiekhafer.
For now, they believe that his system is to lay very low for a number of months, ready for news from the State Department.
“That’s most likely what a lot of people today are going to be performing, attempting to keep away from as a great deal contact as achievable and hope for the greatest,” claimed Thomas Kiekhafer. “That is about all we have appropriate now is hope.”