An Airman from Task Force-Holloman plays soccer with an Afghan evacuee at the Afghan personnel camp on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico on September 1. Staff Sgt. Kenneth Boyton / U.S. Air Force
An ‘Urgent Request’ for Feds to Help with the Afghan Resettlement Process
The Mosaic Muslim Federal Employee Association is looking for native or fluent Dari and Pashto speakers.
A federal employees group sent out an “urgent request” looking for colleagues who could help with the resettlement process for Afghan evacuees by acting as translators and interpreters. Responses are due by the end of Thursday.
“Mosaic Feds has partnered with Operation Allies Welcome and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to support vulnerable Afghan evacuees as they resettle in the United States,” said an email from the Mosaic Muslim Federal Employee Association on Wednesday night. “The main focus at this time is on increasing the presence of native or fluent speakers of Dari and Pashto at military bases that are housing Afghan evacuees prior to being connected with resettlement organizations for placement into communities.”
Operation Allies Welcome is looking for federal employees to serve 60-day commitments who are fluent or native speakers of Dari and Pashto in Indiana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The assistance is needed for interpretation and translation, bridging cultural gaps and organizing culturally appropriate programming.
“Use of human resource/personnel authorities to bring on federal employees are still being determined,” said the email. “Mosaic members interested in supporting this effort should review their agency policies on external details and the use of administrative leave for volunteering. See OPM Fact Sheet on Participation in Volunteer Activities (opm.gov).” Interested participants can email contact@mosaicfeds.org.
During a briefing call on Tuesday about Operation Allies Welcome, a senior government official said DHS is working “closely with the State Department [and] also the Department of Health and Human Services and will collaborate with more than 200 organizations that will assist in the resettlement and integration of Afghan nationals across the country.”
As of Tuesday, about 64,000 evacuees from Afghanistan had arrived in the United States and about 49,000 of them were living on eight domestic military bases, The New York Times reported.