By Tahera Rahmani on

Part 1 - A New Beginning

For many Afghan families, the journey to the United States was shaped by both uncertainty and hope. Shahir’s story reflects the choices and courage behind starting over in a new country. His experience offers a glimpse into the beginnings of life in Philadelphia’s Afghan community.

Between Two Worlds: Afghan Lives Rebuilding in Philadelphia
Part 1 - A New Beginning
Ali Shahir, originally from Afghanistan, now rebuilding his life in Philadelphia after years of displacement. Photo shared by Shahir.

By: Tahera Rahmani and Chris Shaddock

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This article is part of a six-part series on Afghan lives rebuilding in Philadelphia.

When Ali Shahir and his family stepped off the plane at JFK Airport in March 2025, he was starting over—again. A former journalist in Afghanistan, he had to spend years chasing stability across continents, only to arrive in the United States with little more than hope. But for Shahir, it was not certain if he and his family would be admitted into the country. 

While Shahir was granted a special immigrant visa (SIV) in November 2024, his family was not planning to enter the country until February. In between this period, on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to indefinitely halt the resettling of refugees in the U.S. through US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). This suspended funding for many of the non-profit refugee resettlement agencies that manage the cases of refugees looking to enter the U.S., as well as those who are currently living there. Like many others who were planning to come into the country, Shahir’s travel plans to enter the country were cancelled.

“We were one of those that were affected,” said Shahir. “We were hopeless.”

With determination, Shahir and his family found another way. They chose to fly into the U.S. on their own, not knowing what might happen by doing so.

“We had the visa in hand, but didn’t know if we’d even be allowed to board the plane—or if we’d be turned back at the border,” Shahir recalled. “Even we didn’t expect that we could make it in.”

Their gamble paid off, as they were permitted the stay entailed by their SIV and have been living in the Greater Philadelphia Area for three months now.

Immigration is one of the many considerable challenges that Afghan immigrants and refugees have to face since coming to America. While the Afghan community in the Greater Philadelphia Area faces issues involving work, schooling, connecting with family and preserving their culture, they remain optimistic about their lives in the US.

Immigration is one of the many challenges Afghans face since coming to America… [Read Part 2 →]