Indomitable! Immigrants’ Stories of Perseverance and Resilience tells the stories of 32 current immigrants to America from all over the world. In this blog, I will be highlighting parts of all the stories to show the hardships, successes, and amazing wisdom of the people in the book. Click on the Store tab on www.ImmigrantGrit.com to purchase Indomitable!
In his native Afghanistan, some days the fliers appeared like magic. They appeared everywhere—in the shops, in front of houses, in the coffee shops. Sometimes they were from the Taliban; sometimes they were from ISIS; but the message was similar: “Do not cooperate with the Americans! There will be no mercy for traitors.” Seeing these fliers sent chills down Zeb’s back. He never went out much anymore; he talked with few people; he eliminated all social media from his life.
Zeb (an alias) had worked in Afghanistan for years for the Red Cross, U.S. State Department, and the UN. This was extremely dangerous work and he received many, many threats. Finally, he was able to apply for a U.S. special immigrant visa, but it took one whole year for him to get approval to file a petition for immigrant status and a second whole year to get approved. Throughout this time, Zeb kept to himself as much as possible and had to constantly be on high alert for imminent danger. The intimidating fliers kept appearing everywhere.
Eventually, Zeb was relieved to be able to come to the U.S. with his wife and three young children through the International Organization for Migration. Hurdles, however, continued – getting jobs, getting an apartment, getting his Green Card. But Zeb persevered and was able to get valuable training and finally land a good job.
Zeb truly believes, “Although there is not a lot free here, it is really a land of opportunity. I am privileged to be here. If you don’t have something in the U.S., you can fight for it. In Afghanistan, if you don’t have something you can’t fight for it. You will be killed. Here people have the freedom to say something and to do a lot of things. They can raise their voices.”