(BALTIMORE, MD, 1/25/22) – On Wednesday, January 26, the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will hold a news conference along with community partners to call on state and federal officials, including the Office of Refugee Resettlement, to investigate the lack of support for some 40 Afghan evacuee families temporarily housed in the Baltimore region.
Those evacuees, who have been staying in an extended stay facility as temporary housing since last October following the mass evacuations from Kabul in August 2021, are in need of healthcare (especially for pregnant mothers and new infants), documents, schooling for children, help with job placement, and other resources necessary to get settled in their new homes.
CAIR recently called for stepped-up support for the Afghan refugees but has since learned of more egregious mistreatment they are suffering, including the lack of caseworker check-ins with an elderly Afghan woman living alone who speaks no English, families being prematurely evicted even though their rooms have reportedly been paid for through February 9, and a pregnant Afghan woman expecting to deliver any day who has not been provided with basic support and prenatal care.
WHAT: CAIR News Conference to Call for Probe of Lack of Support for Afghan Refugees in Baltimore
WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Mainstream Media Outlets May Use Contact Information Below for Exact Address
CONTACT: CAIR Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062
LIVESTREAMING: https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
CAIR is in touch with some of the evacuees and conducted a site visit earlier today to better assess the situation.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062