By Madelaine Braggs | Rose Law Group Reporter
Rose Law Group is thrilled to announce Immigration Dept. Chair Darius Amiri has successfully obtained asylum approval for a client whose bravery aided U.S. troops during the hostile Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 2021.
As previously reported, Zabi had a harrowing journey as a refuge, shortly after President Biden recalled the American military from the region. Because he has worked closely with the Marines, his life was in imminent danger during a chaotic transition of power.
While our client camped in crowded airports with sleepless lights, often to the background sound of gunfire, Amiri called Senator Mark Kelly’s office for their support and also rallied military groups online. Strangers moved by Zabi’s story coordinated between officials in Kabul, Qatar and the U.S to gather everything USCIS required.
Zabi says the Kabul airport was the hardest part of his journey. “I was losing my motivation, as everyone was telling me I wasn’t going to make it and that I was being played, but finally we made it. That was one of the biggest inspirations for me, because as long as you try for something you can make it, but as soon as you don’t try, you will stop right there. If you try it, you will go further and further, no matter what happens. Don’t ever give up.”
He was paroled into the United States after being evacuated out of Kabul in September 2021. With the help of our office, Zabi applied for asylum in August 2022 and attended his interview the following November. Nearly two years, he can finally rest easy, as his asylum case was approved April 2024. Zabi is now officially an asylee, and he will be eligible for lawful permanent residency one year from the date of his asylum approval.
“I feel so happy, the day that my lawyer texted me I was in disbelief. It feels like it’s been forever since I started my process. When you have been waiting so long for something and then it finally happens, there are so many feelings. We fought more than nine years for this moment,” he said.
Since embarking on his new life in Tucson, Zabi has been spending his time working, assimilating to the American lifestyle, and volunteering his time with a social services group driving other Afghan refugees from Tucson to Phoenix for their USCIS interviews, often acting as an interpreter.
“Honestly, it feels really good and inspiring to be able to help others, I continue to learn more. When others come here, I remember my first days in the United States, how critical of a time it was, how it felt to be in a new country. Seeing them and helping them through, that makes me feel good.”
Amiri says they have stayed in contact throughout this whole process and will be friends for the rest of their lives. “I am so excited that USCIS has granted his case and he is one step closer in his long, long journey towards obtaining US citizenship! We need more heroes like Zabis in this country.”
Related: [PODCAST] The Rose Report: Aiding Afghanistan Refugees
