Afghan refugees

Three families from Afghanistan prepare to board a boat in Necocli, Colombia, that will take them towards the border with Panama.

Afghan families traverse most of Latin America to seek asylum at the US border

Immigration

The US government changed the rules governing how people can seek asylum at the US-Mexico border last week, as a pandemic-era policy called Title 42 expired. Although it may become more difficult, thousands of people are still making their way from South America to the US border, including migrants from all over the world. Some are making their way through the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle that separates Colombia and Panama.

World renowned US cellist Yo-Yo Ma, center, plays with viola players Marzia Anwari, left, from Afghanistan and Luis Fernandes, bassist Eduardo Santos and cellist Mohammad Sami, right, from Afghanistan, at the Music School of the National Conservatory in L

Afghan musicians in Portugal reimagine their musical futures

Afghanistan
Afghan refugees walk through an Afghan refugee camp at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, New Jersey, on Sept. 27, 2021. 

6 months after evacuation, thousands of Afghan families are waiting to reunite

Refugees
People walk while vehicle move through historical Khyber Pass in Jamrud, the main town of Pakistan's Khyber district bordering Afghanistan, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.

Canada promised to resettle 40,000 Afghans. Many are still waiting for answers.

Afghanistan
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson arrives for a meeting of EU justice and interior ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.

EU’s top migration official calls for global response to help Afghans in order to avoid migration crisis in Europe

Afghanistan
Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Virginia, Aug. 27, 2021.

Afghan families are being rapidly resettled in the US. But adjusting to their new lives will take years.  

Afghanistan

One Afghan family in Sacramento recently arrived from Kabul, where the Taliban came knocking on their door. The father was able to get a Special Immigrant Visa to resettle in the US. The family counts themselves as among the fortunate ones, but they worry about those they left behind. 

In this Aug. 21, 2021, image provided by the U.S. Air Force, US Airmen and U.S. Marines guide evacuees aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Canada faces criticism for its slow evacuation of Afghans who helped the government

Afghanistan

Tanya, a naturalized Canadian citizen, has been trying to get her family relocated to Canada, or the US, for years. Unfortunately, her story is all too familiar for Afghans trying to get their family members out of Afghanistan.

A father and son sit on a tourist ferry on Lake Van, on their way to an island that hosts the ruins of a 10th century Armenian church

Turkey’s Lake Van: A dangerous crossroads on the migrant trail

Migration

As Turkey steps up migration controls, Afghan asylum-seekers take bigger risks. More than 800 people have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this year alone.

A map shows the region, including the border between Iran and Afghanistan.

Iranian border guards allegedly drowned 45 Afghan migrants. Their families want answers.

Last week, a group of young Afghans tried to enter Iran in search of work. Iranian officials reportedly arrested them and forced them to return to Afghanistan through a nearby river. Most of them drowned. 

A young girl sits on a couch.

1 million Afghan children face an uncertain future in Iran

Conflict & Justice

As doors close to Afghan refugees around the globe, Afghan children face an uncertain future in Iran. Some have rights and public sympathy, others face deportation and discrimination.