Local congressional offices report they're being overwhelmed with calls from Californians offering to help refugees from Afghanistan.
The Sacramento region is home to one of the country's largest Afghan populations. Across the region, members of Congress have mobilized, urging any family or friends of people eligible to leave Afghanistan to contact them. An estimated one of every nine Afghan natives in the United States lives in the Sacramento region, according to The Sacramento Bee. People have sought help getting several categories of friends and family out of Afghanistan:
▪Americans in Afghanistan.
▪People in Afghanistan approved for Special Immigration Visas, or have applications pending. SIVs are available to certain Afghan nationals who have worked for, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as translators and interpreters.
▪Those eligible for humanitarian parole. Included could be family members of those qualifying for the visas or people at risk,
Sacramento area Reps. Ami Berra and Dorris Matsui's offices have reported a flood of calls for help in providing refuge with hundreds of cases reportedly opened and worked on. The United States has evacuated an estimated 48,000 people since the Taliban took control, and is aiming to accelerate the evacuation before American troops are scheduled to leave the country August 31.