"Ehsaan and Sania are thankful for the life they've begun together in Fremont, surrounded by Afghans with stories similar to their own among the many families and businesses in an area known as Little Kabul. Ehsaan, 27, was born and raised in this city, while Sania, 23, immigrated last year from Kandahar, Afghanistan. They recently married after waiting three years for Sania to obtain a visa to enter the United States."
"Their joy is tempered by recent moves by the Trump administration to ban Afghan nationals and those from a dozen other countries from entering the U.S. On Tuesday, the administration announced it would add five more countries to the travel ban list. Also deeply concerning was a recent shooting on the eve of Thanksgiving of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., and the charges against an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who reportedly spent time working with the CIA and other federal agents in Afghanistan on counterterrorism operations."
"In Fremont, home to one of the largest concentrations of Afghans in the United States, they are in the company of Afghans who started immigrating in large numbers beginning in the 1980s. After American troops withdrew from the United States' 20-year war with Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban assumed control of the country, and even more Afghans continued flowing in to the Bay Area, many of whom had cooperated with U.S. troops against the Taliban and feared persecution and death."
Ehsaan and Sania live in Fremont's Little Kabul after Sania immigrated from Kandahar and the couple married following a three-year visa wait. Their joy is tempered by U.S. administration moves to ban Afghan nationals and others, recent additions to the travel ban list, and concerns after a Thanksgiving eve shooting and charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Both fear unfair backlash and requested only first-name identification. Fremont hosts one of the largest Afghan concentrations in the U.S., with migration starting in the 1980s and accelerating after the 2021 Taliban takeover, bringing many Afghan refugees who had cooperated with U.S. forces. The region is home to an estimated 60,000 Afghan immigrants.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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