No longer facing deportation, Zalmay Niazy, who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan, sees a clearer path to asylum in Iowa
He risked his life helping US troops in Afghanistan before seeking asylum in Iowa. So why is he facing deportation?
“It was a great feeling, I said: ‘Thanks to Almighty God,'” Niazy told the Des Moines Register.
Niazy has faced roadblocks in his asylum process since he found a home in Iowa Falls. This year, he was told the U.S. planned to deport him, claiming he engaged in terrorism when he, as a scared 9-year-old, gave Taliban militants a piece of bread.
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Members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation has also pleaded with the federal government to offer Naizy safety.
“It has put more political pressure for DHS to respond in a more positive, more holistic, approach,” Herting said.
Desperate to flee from the Taliban’s rule — which has been marked in the past by a lack of rights for women, public beatings and executions — thousands of Afghans flooded the country’s Hamid Karzai International Airport after U.S. forces withdrew over the weekend and Afghanistan quickly fell to the Taliban on Sunday.
Worries for his family in Afghanistan
Amidst the turmoil, Niazy said while he received good news on Thursday, he can’t help but continue to be in fear for his family that remain in Afghanistan.
“My family was just in my eyes, and couldn’t do anything about them. I have my whole family stuck in Afghanistan and they are scared for their lives and they’re living in limbo in their own country.” Niazy told the Register.
Afghanistan “is my homeland. That’s where I born. That’s where I have memories, that’s where I had dreams of serving and making it a better place. I miss everything about it. And I hope it’s a better place someday that I can see it again, and I can remind those memories again.”
As of now, Niazy’s family is OK, he said. He talks to them a few times a day.
Iowa is “on board and ready to go” to take in Afghan refugees, Gov. Kim Reynolds said recently, as their home country became chaotic.
Local organizations are preparing for Afghan refugees to arrive as well.
And at least one family has already made their way from Afghanistan to Iowa since the Taliban took over, said Laura Thako, a development associate at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants’ Des Moines Field Office.
Niazy’s next immigration court proceeding is Oct. 4, but Herting is optimistic he and his client will have a decision from the government before then.
Until then, Niazy’s new home of Iowa Falls continues to have his back.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the support and with the prayers … the whole town is celebrating,” he said.
Andrea Sahouri covers social justice for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515-284-8247.