Operation allies welcome: the united states' plan to relocate over 65,000 Afghan asylum seekers

• Author: Anna Nagler
• Position: J.D. Candidate, 2022, Georgetown University Law Center; M.S. Elementary Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2019; B.S. Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience, University of Michigan, 2017
• Pages: 507-514

OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME: THE UNITED

STATES’ PLAN TO RELOCATE OVER 65,000

AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKERS

ANNA NAGLER*

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

GROWING NEED FOR EVACUATION ............................ 508

EVACUATION PROCESS FOR OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

CHALLENGES TO RELOCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

LIFE ON ARMY BASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

In August 2021, U.S. troops finished withdrawing from Afghanistan under

the orders of President Biden, marking the end of the twenty-year war

between the United States and Afghanistan.

1

As the last U.S. troops exited

the country, the Taliban—an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group

2

—seized

control of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, taking over the presidential palace.

3

The Taliban, who previously governed Afghanistan from 1996 through 2001,

are known for their strict interpretation of Islamic law, oppression towards

women, and imposing restrictive prohibitions on recreational activities.

4

For

* Anna Nagler, J.D. Candidate, 2022, Georgetown University Law Center; M.S. Elementary

Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2019; B.S. Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience, University

of Michigan, 2017. © 2021, Anna Nagler.

1. ASSOCIATED PRESS, The Taliban Is Celebrating Its Takeover Now that the U.S. Withdrawal Is

Complete, NPR (Aug. 30, 2021), https://perma.cc/S38C-L7QB.

2. Lindsay Maizland, The Taliban in Afghanistan, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (Sept. 15,

2021), https://perma.cc/EP2G-LQFG.

3. Timeline: The U.S. War in Afghanistan, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (Sept. 2021), https://

perma.cc/8GWZ-A5WU.

4. ASSOCIATED PRESS, supra note 1.

507