Afghan refugees who were rescued and brought back to the US are being accused of being racist and/or sexist towards those helping them, according to a new report published by the United States State department.
According to the report, some of the new refugees launched verbal abuse at staff and others were unhappy with the free accommodations that the government was providing them, Media Take Out has learned.
The State Department report looked at the resettlement of around 73,000 Afghan evacuees brought in last year and in 2021.
‘[Resettlement agency] officials told OIG that the [Afghan Placement and Assistance Program] involved some of the most significant challenges that they had ever faced,’ the report stated.
The agencies also identified ‘inappropriate behavior’ from some, including racist. But the report attributed the behavior to a “lack of cultural awareness.”
‘For example, some RA staff reported experiencing racism and sexism from Afghan clients unaccustomed to the norms of U.S. society,’ the report explained.
Some refugees refused to work with case managers if they were women or those from minority groups, particularly Black case managers.
‘A few local offices had issues of verbal abuse from Afghans, mostly those who were upset or frustrated by the process,’ one agency reported.
Some who had good jobs working as professionals in Afghanistan or had advanced degrees from the country ‘often believed that they would be set up in positions within their chosen field.’
The agencies have recommended various measures, including ‘standardized minimum requirements for cultural orientation that emphasize self-sufficiency, manage expectations, and convey U.S. societal expectations for behavior regarding gender, race, and s*xual issues.’
The report noted that the resettlement was ‘an unprecedented and demanding effort that presented substantial challenges for the nine resettlement agencies that implemented the program.’
