November 17, 2021

Dozens of Afghans who have recently resettled in San Diego in the months since the United States pulled its troops from Afghanistan attended a workshop Saturday to support their transition to life in the U.S.

The event, hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Diego at the Islamic Center of San Diego, included a legal workshop on humanitarian parole applications — which was translated in Pashto and Dari — and information about career resources, housing and food distribution by ICNA Relief. More than three dozen people attended.

CAIR Associate Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said events like Saturday’s help support a vulnerable population as they acclimate to life in San Diego. Moving here can be challenging as people juggle multiple tasks, like enrolling their kids in school, getting up to date on vaccines and accessing health care.

Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said about 65,000 Afghans have already been evacuated from Afghanistan. Of those, an estimated 500 families are expected to resettle in San Diego during the initial wake of the United States withdrawing its troops this summer.

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