This challenge of convincing is made even more difficult, Iva says, because you never know which officer you’ll get, how they’ll hear the story, or how the politics of the moment may influence the perspective and decisions of the asylum officer. Meanwhile, the biggest burden of this long and arduous systems is felt by the clients. Our U.S. allies who fled Afghanistan have already experienced so much turmoil in their lives, often leaving their loved ones behind, and now, Iva says, after finally arriving in the U.S. they must endure this asylum process.

You [the client] think you get a breather and then you get hit with the knowledge of you're here, but you're not here. You're in no man's land because your future is still not certain. You have to go through all this process so you get an answer—Can you stay, or do you have to go back to the nightmare you just left, which is only going to get worse if you're made to return because now, the Taliban saw you leave.

Much of Iva’s work with our Afghan clients is listening; listening to the details of their work with the U.S., their lives and family left behind in Afghanistan, and their often-dangerous journey to safety in the U.S. so that she can help them compose the story of their journey that will help them build a new life in their new community. Listening takes its own toll and Iva admits that “sometimes you just have to take a breather and step away… You're the one immersing yourself in the horrible things that happen to them, so you have to make sure that you don't let it consume you because then there's nobody to help.”

Yet, in the midst of these challenges, there is hope. On the day of the interview Iva was having a “very happy day” as she with the guidance of Managing Attorney, Elizabeth DeFrance, mailed out her first asylum application, one that took months to complete. Adding to Iva’s hope is the recent news that the much-anticipated Afghan Adjustment Act has finally been introduced in the U.S. Congress. This legislation, if passed, promises to clear some of the legal hurdles that make the immigration process so uncertain for many of our Afghan allies now residing in the U.S.

Iva loves her new role with CWS Greensboro and finds daily motivation for her work in the connections she makes with her clients and the impact of the work. She is grateful to provide the vital services of our office at no cost to our Afghan clients saying: “Being able to offer somebody the privilege of legal representation without the cost… it’s a big thing. I wish for all of the resettlement agencies to have legal offices—that would make life so much better for so many people.” We are grateful for Iva and our entire Immigration Legal Services team for working tirelessly to help our new neighbors begin their new lives with us in Greensboro.