The 21st Show

Afghan Refugees: Where They Are Now

 
A man walks with a child through Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. The Biden administration provided the first public look inside the U.S. military base where Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan are screened, amid questions about how the government is caring for the refugees and vetting them.

A man walks with a child through Fort Bliss' Doña Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. The Biden administration provided the first public look inside the U.S. military base where Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan are screened, amid questions about how the government is caring for the refugees and vetting them. AP Photo/David Goldman

Aug. 30, 2022 will mark one year since the last US Air Force plane departed the tarmac at Kabul International Airport. Millions of Afghans, including many who were instrumental in supporting U.S. military operations, remain in a country controlled by the Taliban. However, in the year since US withdrawal, thousands of Afghans have also arrived on American soil and settled across the country, including in Illinois.

To hear how that resettlement process is going, we checked in with two experts. 

Guests:

Lisa Wilson
Executive Director, The Refugee Center (Champaign-Urbana)

Ilene Henderson
Operations Manager, Afghan Welcome Home Project of Central Illinois