Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they the people who helped the American government during this 20y war or just regular people who want out of the new Taliban government?

Also, are they staying here or are they going to be moved throughout the country?

Conservative here. I have a close friend who is helping with the effort. She assured me that they are all vetted in multiple checkpoints throughout the airport and indeed are definitely those that helped us. She's in cybersecurity.

She also (disturbingly) told me that there are very few Americans among them and that those Americans have 90 days to pay back all evacuation expenses while Afghanis are getting $1200 per person in the family, housing, food, clothing, furniture etc.

TROLLL!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I am pretty sure this is true.

Heads up, if you are a US citizen - the State Dept. will try its best to evacuate you from war zones, but you are expected to reimburse the US taxpayer for this and you have to sign a promissory note before you get on the plane. If you have a US passport you aren't a refugee.

I have no issue with supporting refugees - these folks are going to spend years and lots of $ to become legal permanent residents or citizens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they the people who helped the American government during this 20y war or just regular people who want out of the new Taliban government?

Also, are they staying here or are they going to be moved throughout the country?

Conservative here. I have a close friend who is helping with the effort. She assured me that they are all vetted in multiple checkpoints throughout the airport and indeed are definitely those that helped us. She's in cybersecurity.

She also (disturbingly) told me that there are very few Americans among them and that those Americans have 90 days to pay back all evacuation expenses while Afghanis are getting $1200 per person in the family, housing, food, clothing, furniture etc.

TROLLL!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous wrote:Let's be clear that "assimilation" is not a valid or appropriate goal. Why would PP need immigrants to lose their foodways and languages, and why should he/she object if they are able to open their own private schools, religious or otherwise?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: who regularly risked their lives to help US personnel on the ground

It was their country they were helping, with the US personnel risking their lives to help them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is many are relocating to this area. Why OP?

I am worried about schools, FCPS specifically. Maybe the number of refugees is not that high, but for the amount of posts asking for donations on my Facebook page and nextdoor, Iam worried about the impact on FCPS resources - class size, ESOL, etc.

Being brown is not contagious! But, to you, of course, it is, you are already worried about your kids dating and reproducing with brown kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a huge Afghani population that already lives & thrives in Nova. They are more likely to thrive here where they have a long standing community that speaks their languages and can help them navigate US bureaucracy, find jobs, learn English, etc. If you plop them in the middle of rural Nebraska, they will have a very difficult time adapting and assimilating.

It is easier to assimilate if they do not have a huge Afghani population. Then there is less need to learn English or American culture.
A little different for Afghanistan with Taliban banning everything, but you can just watch foreign satellite service TV and read foreign language newspapers while shopping at groceries that cater to your food style.

I have to ask.. how welcoming would the folks in the middle of NE be to a bunch of Afghan refugees who may be Muslims?

Also, as a child of immigrants, I can tell you that it's really hard for older people to eat foods that are completely foreign to them. Do you think they can find food in the middle of NE that fits their Afghani palates? And the local grocery store probably wouldn't carry the same things that Afghanis are used to. I know when my parents came to the US, they found grocery shopping difficult at the local American store. they eventually found a tiny (and I mean tiny) store that catered to that ethnic group.

I recall a movie based on a true story with Tommy Lee Jones playing a Vietnam War vet with his Vietnamese wife whom he brings to the states. His family serve a huge American meal, one that is considered "normal", peas, carrots, mash potatos, and the Vietnamese wife and kid just stare at it, and find it hard to eat.

Imagine if you went to some strange place and had to eat only the local food there. You would find it hard. My white ILs lived in the middle east for a while, and they did all their food shopping at the compound grocery store that sold western goods. They would have found it very difficult to shop at the local grocery store.

This is one of the reasons why the refugee resettlement agencies resettle refugees in groups across the country. They are also provided with community supports the most immigrants don’t have, like a non-proselytizing church or synagogue that sponsors them and makes sure they are set up with stuff they need.
From my experience working with refugee families and immigrant families that I know (including my own grandparents), people who are young (under 20) “assimilate” easily and pretty quickly. That’s not to say that they lose their native culture or that they don’t face discrimination but they usually can blend in with native Americans pretty completely. Old folks (over 60 or so) have a lot of trouble learning a new language, even if they want to, and often have trouble with new foods. That’s usually not a problem because they are old , people make allowances for them, and they can hang out with other old people or help with grandkids. People in middle life 20-60 can have a whole range of experiences—some folks are just good at adapting and learning new things, others just aren’t, as a matter of personality and aptitude. I think it can be hardest for adults that are by nature not adaptable or good with change, who can sometimes become unhappy or resentful, in part because they may struggle to pass the citizenship test or find meaningful employment. But that’s just an observation, not a reason to exclude people that need refuge. I fully admit that if I had to move to a totally different country—even someplace like Germany or Paraguay that isn’t that different—at this stage in my life, I would probably be deeply depressed and I don’t know how well I would adjust.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is many are relocating to this area. Why OP?

I am worried about schools, FCPS specifically. Maybe the number of refugees is not that high, but for the amount of posts asking for donations on my Facebook page and nextdoor, Iam worried about the impact on FCPS resources - class size, ESOL, etc.

FCPS resources are already strained to the limits.

This influx of non-English speaking school age kids (up to age 21 in some cases) could break the system.

I agree but then you shouldn’t be worrying about this particular group of immigrants. And I’m Latino so yes I am calling my people out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By American values, they probably means things like "not throwing gay people off of roofs" and "not beating women for just walking down the street." You know, that sort of thing.

You mean like the Taliban’s values? These people are fleeing the taliban NOT embracing their values!

Or they could be Taliban sympathizers who just want to get into America. It would be more believable if they were fleeing to Uzbekistan.
We've already seen it with 'refugees' from Central America. People who have a good life there but they really would rather be in America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a huge Afghani population that already lives & thrives in Nova. They are more likely to thrive here where they have a long standing community that speaks their languages and can help them navigate US bureaucracy, find jobs, learn English, etc. If you plop them in the middle of rural Nebraska, they will have a very difficult time adapting and assimilating.

It is easier to assimilate if they do not have a huge Afghani population. Then there is less need to learn English or American culture.
A little different for Afghanistan with Taliban banning everything, but you can just watch foreign satellite service TV and read foreign language newspapers while shopping at groceries that cater to your food style.

I have to ask.. how welcoming would the folks in the middle of NE be to a bunch of Afghan refugees who may be Muslims?

Also, as a child of immigrants, I can tell you that it's really hard for older people to eat foods that are completely foreign to them. Do you think they can find food in the middle of NE that fits their Afghani palates? And the local grocery store probably wouldn't carry the same things that Afghanis are used to. I know when my parents came to the US, they found grocery shopping difficult at the local American store. they eventually found a tiny (and I mean tiny) store that catered to that ethnic group.

I recall a movie based on a true story with Tommy Lee Jones playing a Vietnam War vet with his Vietnamese wife whom he brings to the states. His family serve a huge American meal, one that is considered "normal", peas, carrots, mash potatos, and the Vietnamese wife and kid just stare at it, and find it hard to eat.

Imagine if you went to some strange place and had to eat only the local food there. You would find it hard. My white ILs lived in the middle east for a while, and they did all their food shopping at the compound grocery store that sold western goods. They would have found it very difficult to shop at the local grocery store.

Exactly. That's why assimilation will be quicker when it is harder to avoid. Now consider the kids. If it was harder to come by Afghan culture, they will assimilate quickly. If instead they are eating Afghan meals everyday and watching Afghan TV at home and generally socializing with people who speak the same language, they will be less assimilated, especially if they don't go to public school because there was enough people that they were able to set up a religious school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is many are relocating to this area. Why OP?

I am worried about schools, FCPS specifically. Maybe the number of refugees is not that high, but for the amount of posts asking for donations on my Facebook page and nextdoor, Iam worried about the impact on FCPS resources - class size, ESOL, etc.

ESOL ? I doubt it- after 20 years of US occupation / UN presence I bet every Afghan kid speaks English, German and some French

Don't you travel at all?? You should know this.

That and the fact that - given an opportunity most Afghan kids will be filling the magnet STEM classes in your public