Jeff Holder, a Baptist minister and chaplain with Tarjaman Relief who helped Afghan allies through SIV applications and resettlement. He discusses the surge in scrutiny after a D.C. shooting. He outlines how lengthy vetting works. He describes who remains vulnerable abroad and the strains of resettlement and mental-health challenges in the U.S.
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How A Pastor Ended Up Helping Afghan Interpreters
Jeff Holder became chaplain for Tarjaman after 25 years as a missionary in Africa and his wife teaching ESL to Afghan women in Nashville.
He joined an Annapolis-based NGO of veterans and civilians who volunteered to help translators and interpreters evacuate after Kabul fell in 2021.
insights INSIGHT
Thousands Helped But Processes Halted By Policy Change
Tarjaman helped roughly 3,000 Afghans but operations slowed and paused after the change in U.S. administration.
Many allies were nearly on planes when policy shifted and resettlement work became more difficult under the new administration.
insights INSIGHT
Extended Families Remain Vulnerable Back Home
Afghans left immediate family in the U.S. but often must leave extended family behind, who face intimidation, loss of subsidies, and ostracism in Afghanistan.
Those left behind can lose food subsidies and health care if suspected of aiding the U.S., keeping them in danger.
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More To The Story: Back in November, two National Guard members were shot just blocks from the White House. One was killed. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who came to the US through a Biden-era humanitarian parole program and had applied for a special immigrant visa, which allows Afghans who worked with the US military to obtain a green card. In the shooting’s aftermath, President Donald Trump halted the visa program and called for a review of all Afghans who have come to the US. Dozens of American organizations have formed in the past decade to help Afghans with the complicated visa application and resettlement process.
Jeff Holder is a pastor with one of them, an organization called Tarjoman Relief that’s made up of military and civilian volunteers. On this week’s More To The Story, Holder talks with host Al Letson about the Afghan allies now in limbo, the extensive vetting process they undergo to come to the US, and what he sees as lies about America’s Afghan communities being told by people in power.
Producer: Josh Sanburn | Editor: Kara McGuirk-Allison | Theme music: Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs | Copy editor: Nikki Frick | Digital producer: Artis Curiskis | Deputy executive producer: Taki Telonidis | Executive producer: Brett Myers | Executive editor: James West | Host: Al Letson
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