State Dept. Offers Potential Refugee Status to More Afghans Who Worked With U.S.

As the Taliban make territorial gains, more Afghans, including those who helped U.S. news outlets, will become eligible for visas.

The State Department is offering potential refugee status to several new categories of Afghans who assisted the United States during the war in Afghanistan, including those who worked for news media and nongovernmental organizations. The department said in an announcement on Monday that the action was meant to protect Afghans “who may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation,” but who were not eligible for a special immigrant visa program that has begun to resettle thousands of Afghans and their family members. But Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, addressing reporters at the State Department on Monday, acknowledged that gaining entry into the United States would not be easy for the affected Afghans, who must reach a third country before they can even apply for U.S. refugee status, beginning a process that can take more than a year, thanks to backlogs and rigorous security vetting.