US changes focus to long-term residency for more Afghans

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration is phasing out a program that aimed to give at-risk Afghans a quicker legal pathway to the U.S. through humanitarian relief but was criticized for its bureaucratic barriers. Instead, starting Oct. 1, the U.S. government says it will focus on beefing up efforts to help more Afghans get permanent U.S. residency rather than the temporary legal status of humanitarian parole. Since the chaotic evacuation of Afghans following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, some 86,000 Afghans have arrived in the United States. Most have humanitarian parole, which allows them to stay only two years.