Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 32 : Shawn VanDiver with #AfghanEvac
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 32 : Shawn VanDiver with #AfghanEvac
Welcome to Episode 32 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast,
where hosts Mikael Cook and Beth Bailey highlight the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Today’s guest, Shawn VanDiver, is president and founder of
the #AfghanEvac coalition, which unites volunteers and professionals from government, national security, and public policy backgrounds in a search to fulfill the promises the U.S. made to its allies left behind in Afghanistan. Shawn talked about the important wins that the coalition has been able to achieve through their efforts, as well as some of the difficulties they have faced over the past two years.
Shawn dove into the difficulties facing Afghan refugees who have
moved to Pakistan in an effort to find safety over decades of war, and who are now under threat of deportation to Afghanistan. In particular, #AfghanEvac has come out strongly in support of allies with documented paths to refugee status or humanitarian parole or special immigrant visa eligibility, and has pressured the Pakistani government to allow those individuals safe haven while their cases are processed. In addition, #AfghanEvac hopes that Pakistan will allow the establishment of a Resettlement Support Center to process Priority-1 and Priority-2 applicants to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Finally, Shawn addressed the importance of passing the Afghan
Adjustment Act, which would alleviate uncertainty plaguing many Afghan refugees in the U.S., and add additional eligibility categories for Afghans seeking special immigrant visas. Shawn laid out numerous arguments for passage of the AAA, and wants listeners to know that 89 percent of Americans support passage of the AAA, according to a poll from With Honor (https://withhonor.org/news/89-of-americans-support-keeping-our-pledge-to-our-afghans-allies/)
Today’s episode concludes with an emotional letter sent to
the #AfghanEvac coalition from an appreciative Afghan ally who arrived in the U.S. in early November.
About Shawn VanDiver and #AfghanEvac:
Follow Shawn on Twitter :https://twitter.com/shawnjvandiver.
Follow #AfghanEvac on Twitter https://twitter.com/afghanevac or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/afghanevac/. Their website can be found here: https://afghanevac.org/
About the hosts:
Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran
of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan allies in August of 2021. You can follow his Instagram @Mikaelcook89.
Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations
as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram @BWBailey85 or Twitter @BWBailey85.
For listeners in Afghanistan:
If you would like to have your story considered for a future
episode, please send us a letter about your experiences to our show e-mail address, [email protected].
Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.
View all episodes
By Mikael Cook
5
88 ratings
Welcome to Episode 32 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast,
where hosts Mikael Cook and Beth Bailey highlight the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Today’s guest, Shawn VanDiver, is president and founder of
the #AfghanEvac coalition, which unites volunteers and professionals from government, national security, and public policy backgrounds in a search to fulfill the promises the U.S. made to its allies left behind in Afghanistan. Shawn talked about the important wins that the coalition has been able to achieve through their efforts, as well as some of the difficulties they have faced over the past two years.
Shawn dove into the difficulties facing Afghan refugees who have
moved to Pakistan in an effort to find safety over decades of war, and who are now under threat of deportation to Afghanistan. In particular, #AfghanEvac has come out strongly in support of allies with documented paths to refugee status or humanitarian parole or special immigrant visa eligibility, and has pressured the Pakistani government to allow those individuals safe haven while their cases are processed. In addition, #AfghanEvac hopes that Pakistan will allow the establishment of a Resettlement Support Center to process Priority-1 and Priority-2 applicants to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Finally, Shawn addressed the importance of passing the Afghan
Adjustment Act, which would alleviate uncertainty plaguing many Afghan refugees in the U.S., and add additional eligibility categories for Afghans seeking special immigrant visas. Shawn laid out numerous arguments for passage of the AAA, and wants listeners to know that 89 percent of Americans support passage of the AAA, according to a poll from With Honor (https://withhonor.org/news/89-of-americans-support-keeping-our-pledge-to-our-afghans-allies/)
Today’s episode concludes with an emotional letter sent to
the #AfghanEvac coalition from an appreciative Afghan ally who arrived in the U.S. in early November.
About Shawn VanDiver and #AfghanEvac:
Follow Shawn on Twitter :https://twitter.com/shawnjvandiver.
Follow #AfghanEvac on Twitter https://twitter.com/afghanevac or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/afghanevac/. Their website can be found here: https://afghanevac.org/
About the hosts:
Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran
of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan allies in August of 2021. You can follow his Instagram @Mikaelcook89.
Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations
as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram @BWBailey85 or Twitter @BWBailey85.
For listeners in Afghanistan:
If you would like to have your story considered for a future
episode, please send us a letter about your experiences to our show e-mail address, [email protected].
Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.
More shows like The Afghanistan Project Podcast
View all
The Holy Post
4,299 Listeners
SmartHERNews
634 Listeners
Advisory Opinions
3,786 Listeners
The Dispatch Podcast
3,223 Listeners
The MeidasTouch Podcast
46,753 Listeners
The Ezra Klein Show
15,395 Listeners
Good Faith
1,897 Listeners
Afghanistan with Roh Yakobi
9 Listeners