By Payton Muse | Prescott E News, Cronkite News
For more than a decade, Zabi had tried to leave his native Afghanistan, where he worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military. His situation rapidly deteriorated in August, when U.S. forces left and the ruthless Taliban quickly regained control.
Zabi spent nearly a week outside the chaotic airport in Kabul, hoping to be let in and fearing for his life the whole time.
“If I explained to them what was going on in Afghanistan, they would be thinking, people in Afghanistan, they are living in the hell,” said Zabi, whose last name is being withheld to protect his identity. “They’re living in (a) really, really bad place in the world.”
Two weeks ago, with help from Rose Law Group in Scottsdale, Zabi and his fiancé touched down in Tucson, where they will make their new home.
Zabi spoke at a news conference this week with immigration attorney Darius Amiri, who took on the case pro bono and is the son of an Iranian immigrant.
“We didn’t obviously anticipate the Taliban to make the kind of headway they did after we pulled out, and Zabi was really at a big risk and feared for his life,” Amiri said.
