The Biden Administration unveiled a new program for resettling evacuated Afghan refugees that includes private sponsorship by veterans and qualified individuals over 18. The program gets the thousands of Afghans still living on military bases into permanent homes and will initiate a system of support outside of the normal resettlement agency network.

Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, commented that the program “will create new opportunities for individuals and community groups across the country to directly support Afghans who have been relocated to the United States under Operation Allies Welcome.” The initiative allows for a group of everyday individuals to provide support for an Afghan family that they either know or don’t know for up to 90 days.

The evacuation of thousands of Afghan refugees coupled with an already strained resettlement program necessitated the largest overhaul of the program since 1980. The previous administration decreased the cap of refugees per year to 15,000, forcing many of the local offices of resettlement agencies to shut their doors. The agencies play a large role in bringing refugees into the community and accessing benefits like Medicaid, English lessons, public schools, and Social Security cards to begin working. These agencies were also responsible for picking the individuals and families up from the airport and securing their housing for the first few months. However, with the Trump Administration’s decrease in the allowed number of refugees, the funding dried up, and so did the assistance.

In late August 2021, shortly after the Taliban swiftly took over Afghanistan, the Biden Administration enacted Operation Allies Welcome, an effort “to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettle in the United States.” The Department of Homeland Security is charged with conducting screening and vetting of the Afghans qualified for resettlement under this program before they arrive in the United States.

From the onset, however, the Department of Homeland Security knew that a majority of Afghans would be paroled into the United States for two years. Humanitarian parole is administered on a case-by-case basis, but once admitted, Afghan nationals can then begin applying for immigration status. Unlike refugees, however, humanitarian parole does not guarantee the same support, nor does it mandate automatic permanent residence. Once the parole period expires, parolees must exit the country. This temporary measure helps Afghans, and other foreign nationals with similar circumstances, enter the country quickly but makes funding and supporting them a whole new problem.

Now, individuals over the age of 18 can apply as a “sponsor circle” which will commit to fundraising enough money to support an individual for up to 90 days. At least five adults are required from the same neighborhood to complete a full Sponsor Circle. They will also undergo a background check, receive training, and develop a plan of action for the individual or family. One group the Administration is marketing this program to is veterans who can reunite with their Afghan translators and offer an opportunity to provide their service back.

The Sponsor Circle will replace the resettlement agency’s responsibilities by finding housing, securing benefits, and helping enroll children in school for those who do not have refugee status, or are still waiting for their cases to be adjudicated. The group will be responsible for fundraising at least $2,275 per individual.

On May 3, 2021, President Biden increased the refugee cap to 62,500 individuals per fiscal year with a goal of 125,000 for the following fiscal year. By providing a new form of private sponsorship and slowly rehabilitating the gutted refugee resettlement program, Biden is creating an opportunity for the United States to be on track to be able to support that volume of refugees in the coming years.