Afghan refugees are still adjusting to life in Kansas City — and wondering if they can stay

After the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Kansas City welcomed hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan in 2021. Two years later, many refugees are in search of stable housing as the question of their immigration status remains in the air.
When the Taliban overtook Kabul in 2021, Qasim Rahimi went into hiding at a neighbor’s house.

Meanwhile, U.S. troops withdrew and took nearly 90,000 Afghan evacuees who were in danger of persecution. Rahimi knew he had to leave, too.

“I was a journalist and a director in (the) Afghanistan government when the government fell, so I was not feeling secure,” he said. “I had to escape.”

Rahimi’s two older brothers, one a journalist and the other employed with International Security Assistance Forces, found a way for much of the family, including Rahimi, to flee to a military camp in Germany. From there, he found his way to the United States and, eventually, Kansas City.