Afghan evacuees face uncertain legal status as they prepare to leave U.S. bases

Tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees who are set to leave U.S. military sites in the next few weeks to start new lives in communities across America will face an unresolved question: what legal status will I have here?

Because they entered the U.S. under a temporary legal process known as parole — and not as traditional refugees or visa holders — many at-risk Afghans brought to America following the swift Taliban takeover of their homeland do not have a direct avenue to obtain permanent residency.

Since mid-August, more than 55,000 Afghans have been relocated to the U.S., according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures provided Wednesday. The department said it determined that 40% of evacuees are eligible for special immigrant visas because they aided the U.S. war effort.