Migration, Evacuation and Resettlement: The US Withdrawal from Afghanistan from Two Perspectives

Panelists (left to right) Jane Pak, Hamida Dahir Sheikh Ahmed, David Pham, and Alex Cornell du Houx

What makes an event a migration versus an evacuation? How does resettlement differ for those who were evacuated and those who migrated?

On March 17, the Master’s in Public Leadership and Master's in Migration Studies programs hosted a panel that brought together various perspectives. Speakers included: Jane Pak, Co-ED at Refugee and Immigrant Transitions and MIMS adjunct professor; Hamida Dahir Sheikh Ahmed, an IRC employment specialist and MIMS alum; David Pham, a Marine infantry officer combat veteran, currently pursuing a Master's in Public Leadership at USF; and Alex Cornell du Houx, Director of USF's Certificate in Public Leadership and alum of MAPL.

The following entries are student reflections from the discussion.

By Monowara Hossain

“Now, let’s take a collective breath to reflect on the heaviness of the topic discussed today,” said Jane Pak. The audience witnessed the look of shock and trauma on the faces of children minutes after they landed in the US. They had been airlifted during an emergency evacuation from Afghanistan. One of our panel speakers, a former Marine, captured this image while he was on deployment. One moment, these children were playing in their homes, and the next, they were forced to flee to a foreign country. Their entire life uprooted without a clear understanding of what will happen to them. The look on their faces is etched into my memory forever. This is the price of war and the impact on the people left behind. It made me question how we can do even more?

The panel consisted of former government employees, private professionals, and experts from the academic space. Each had their own perspective of their role and of each other. The forum provided a safe space for the panel and the audience to discuss their backgrounds, projects they were currently working on, how to collaborate, and ultimately how to create a better world. The key takeaway for me is to continue taking action every day, no matter how small, and together we can make a difference. It requires hard work, patience, and long-term dedication because what is the alternative?

I want to thank MIMS and the MPL program for hosting this event and continuing the conversation on Afghanistan. I was overjoyed by the incredible turnout. It was inspirational to see how much the panel and the audience cared and continue to impact their community. I left feeling hopeful and honored to share in the mission of advancing immigrant rights.

By Cindy Bejarano

Being an audience member in the impactful conversation on the conditions of Afghanistan people, migration, and global policies impacting millions left me in awe within the first 10 minutes. The perspectives, experiences, and listening to witnesses of the panel members left me paralyzed. The Panel members were given five minutes to introduce themselves, but time froze in this space. Their perspectives and what they have witnessed shed light on important points that went beyond the minutes, providing an authentic conversation between the panel and the audience. One image that left me paralyzed was of a little boy waiting for the next steps in an emergency evacuation. Just a few days before, he was playing, and within moments in his life, he was staring into the camera, his eyes demonstrating shock and lack of sleep.

As an audience member, I am thankful to have been in a space where we all shared the uncomfortable but necessary silences and conversation. I am grateful to MIMS and the MPL program for coming together to host this event and providing a much-needed discussion around immigration reform. This panel sheds light that immigration intersects and is a multilayer issue. One big question for us is what do we do about it? I am also thankful for MIMs for providing me opportunities to constantly learn from others from different backgrounds that share similar passions on migration, solidarity, and community. I have been honored to take a class with Jane on Critical Refugee Studies and be classmates with Hamida in my first year at MIMS. Their inspiring work, along with everyone in MIMs, pushes me to keep going academically and later contribute as the 5-panel members have.

“There is nothing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” -Audre Lorde