News/Commentary

State Dept. report accuses rescued Afghan refugees of being racist, sexist against those who helped resettle them in U.S.

April 10, 2023 | | Print Article

The nine U.S. resettlement agencies that assisted roughly 72,000 rescued Afghan evacuees who were brought to the States in 2021 and 2022 say they were the victims of racism, sexism, and verbal abuse from some of those they were tasked with helping, according to a State Department Inspector General report.

Following the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of evacuees were allowed to enter America under humanitarian parole.

In its review of the resettlement efforts, the IG found that the nine non-profits faced a slew of “significant challenges” with some of the refugees, including “inappropriate behavior.”

“[Resettlement agency] officials told OIG that the [Afghan Placement and Assistance Program] involved some of the most significant challenges that they had ever faced,” the report said, according to Fox News Digital (FND).

Many came about due to what the agencies chalked up to cultural differences.

“For example, some RA staff reported experiencing racism and sexism from Afghan clients unaccustomed to the norms of U.S. society,” the report explained.

Some of the parolees flat-out refused to work with caseworkers who were either female or from certain minority groups.

“[A] few local offices had issues of verbal abuse from Afghans, mostly those who were upset or frustrated by the process,” reported one agency.

“Many parolees had very high expectations and did not understand the role of local affiliates and would become frustrated with services and housing,” the report read.

“Nine groups were involved in the resettlement and received per capita grants of $2,275, with $1,225 of that marked for direct assistance,” Fox News Digital reports. “The resettlement was coordinated by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).”

Some parolees, the IG found, had “unrealistic expectations” when it came to the resettlement process, with a number of agencies reporting that some had been promised “welcome money” upon their arrival.

“Others had unrealistic expectations regarding housing and would therefore reject housing offered to them as insufficient or of inferior quality,” states FND. “Some who had worked as professionals or held advanced degrees in Afghanistan ‘often believed that they would be set up in positions within their chosen field.'”

PRM, the agencies said, should put in place “standardized minimum requirements for cultural orientation that emphasize self-sufficiency, manage expectations, and convey U.S. societal expectations for behavior regarding gender, race, and sexual issues.”

It’s a far cry from the praise President Biden showered upon refugees just last year.

“Today, on World Refugee Day, I join people around the world in recognizing the strength, resilience, and humanity of the millions of refugees forced to flee violence, persecution, and war,” Biden tweeted last June. “Those who find refuge in America — a proud nation of immigrants — enrich our country.”

In conclusion, the report called the resettlement “an unprecedented and demanding effort that presented substantial challenges for the nine RAs that implemented the program.”

Having said that, the IG found that many of the challenges, including, in addition to cultural differences, mental and physical health complications, were out of the PRM’s control. The agencies, the report said, praised the program’s funding and touted the “unparalleled coordination between federal agencies.”

 

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles