Afghan diplomats struggling in US without pay

• 

Diplomats in Afghanistan's Embassy in Washington, as well as Afghan consulates in New York and Los Angeles, are relying heavily on savings and loans because they have not been paid for several months, the New York Times reported.

According to the newspaper, the Afghan Embassy in Washington continues to process consular requests and receives $2,000 to $3,000 in fees each month, which is enough to cover utilities but not enough to pay salaries to Afghan employees.

Officials told The New York Times that Afghan diplomats had not been paid since October 2021, when US banks stopped accounts.

The Afghans will only be able to take advantage of diplomatic immunity and residency for 30 days if the Embassy building closes, according to the newspaper, which cited a State Department memo cited by numerous officials.

The diplomats will have little to no capacity to remain in the United States if they are not granted asylum or other legal residences promptly.

According to Matthew Bourke, a spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 31 Afghans have requested to become permanent residents, including diplomats and their family members.

Around 55 Afghan diplomats and their family members in the United States are seeking refuge, according to Abdul Hadi Nejrabi, the Afghan Embassy's deputy head of mission.

Money unfrozen, yet stolen?

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday to split the $7 billion in Afghan frozen funds between 9/11 victims' families and Afghan humanitarian aid.

The Taliban Movement sees the US decision to freeze Afghan funds held in US banks as a showcase of theft and the moral decline of the United States, Mohammad Naeem, a spokesperson for the Taliban political office said.