Posts Tagged ‘Afghanistan’
Left in Limbo â The State of the Afghan Community after the U.S. Military Withdrawal
On August 15th, 2021, years of preparation came to a close as the United States military began to withdraw from Afghanistan. Intelligence specialists estimated that it would take a minimum of six months for Kabul to be captured by the Taliban. It took them 11 days. Thus began two weeks of chaos.
On August 31st, the U.S. declared its withdrawal complete and closed its embassy in Kabul. As part of its withdrawal, the U.S. military helped evacuate 78,000 Afghans out of Afghanistan. This rushed and dangerous evacuation left tens of thousands of Afghans behind and tore families apart. Today, the Afghan community in and out of the U.S. is forced to deal with long and confusing procedures. All they want is to see their family and the guarantee of a stable future, but this is much easier said than done.
What has been going on with the Afghan community since the withdrawal? Here is an overview and timeline of events so we can better understand and advocate for the Afghan community.
U.S. Bureaucracy Struggles to Keep Up Post-Withdrawal
On September 3rd, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced âOperation Allies Welcome.â This new program was meant to resettle and support Afghans involved in the large-scale evacuation effort. Due to this new operation, tens of thousands of fleeing Afghans were granted humanitarian parole.
What is humanitarian parole and how was it used in Afghanistan?
Humanitarian parole is a way for the government to protect foreign nationals in emergency situations. It serves as a rapid way to let someone stay in the United States and work there without going through the complicated bureaucracy of the immigration system. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the organization responsible for managing immigration status, quickly granted parole to 74,500 of the 78,000 evacuating Afghans. Due to the chaotic and urgent nature of the situation, USCIS did not have many other options.
On average, humanitarian parole lasts two years. During this time, parolees cannot be deported, and they have the right to work. Once those two years are up, they are either sent back to their country, or USCIS can extend their parole. Since August 2021, thousands of Afghans have been stuck waiting, trying to rebuild their lives between this two-year status. They simply hope that they wonât be sent back.
How did USCIS manage the crisis after the withdrawal?
Once the Taliban took back control of Kabul, USCIS began receiving an overwhelming amount of parole requests.
USCIS was not prepared to process Afghans that werenât included in the initial evacuations. Those that were left behind had to wait. In September, their calls for help were put on hold. It took USCIS four months to adapt its processing procedures.
From January 2020, as the U.S. government began preparing its evacuation, to April 6th, 2022, 8 months after the withdrawal, USCIS received 44,785 total applications for parole. They processed 2,633. They accepted only 114. In total, because of the $575 fee attached to the application, USCIS received over $19 million.
As of 2023, this number of applicants has risen to 49,000 with a total of 410 approved. To make matters worse, about 70% of Afghans applying for parole are still within the country. The U.S. government no longer grants parole to those at the borderâ they must be outside of the United States. Every extra day they wait for a decision is a day they live under the threat of death.
Special Immigrant Visas
Certain Afghans can apply for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). An SIV is a special visa given to Afghans who put themselves under a security risk to interpret or otherwise be employed by the U.S. military. With this visa, Afghans can seek permanent residence and citizenship in America. Often, Afghans who qualify for SIVs are in dangerous situations. The Taliban views them as traitors and many SIV-eligible Afghans have been killed or are threatened by the Taliban.
The Problem with SIVs
The SIV program is in as much disarray as the parole program. Even before the U.S. withdrawal, there was a backlog of approximately 18,000 SIV applications. As the list kept growing, the understaffed Afghan SIV program couldn’t keep up. Internal reports found that it takes roughly 734 days to process an SIV application as of 2022â just over two years.
The latest report from the Department of Homeland Security found that there were about 74,000 applicants waiting for a decision on their SIV status. Even worse, these applicants are in the very early stages of the application process. They are waiting for the Afghan Chief of Mission to approve their papers and confirm that they did work with the U.S. militaryâ step number four of an 11-stage process.
Additionally, there are only 17,000 SIVs left to give out. Like other immigrant visa programs, the State Department puts a cap on the number of visas it can give out. Once USCIS reaches this cap, there is no way for additional Afghan allies to benefit from this program. However, the State Department can raise the cap, which it has previously done. In December, the State Department added 4,000 visas to the total. Nevertheless, we are still far away from addressing the tens of thousands of Afghan allies.
SIV Applicants Face Another Issue
The SIV application process holds another hurdle. On August 31, 2021, the U.S. embassy in Kabul suspended operations. Therefore, SIV applicants are forced to leave the country; after a certain point in the process, they must show up at a U.S. embassy in person for an interview. Leaving Afghanistan can prove to be quite difficult, especially for an SIV applicant who may already be threatened by the Taliban.
While many SIV applicants were paroled out of Afghanistan during the initial evacuation, many were left behind. So many allies who put their lives in danger were simply abandoned.
Afghanistan Becomes Eligible for Temporary Protected Status
In March 2022, USCIS announced the designation of Afghanistan as TPS-eligible. Temporary protected status (TPS) is similar to humanitarian parole. When a country is facing conflict that would make it unsafe for its citizens to return, the secretary of the Department of Homeland country can declare that country and its citizens eligible for TPS.
Then, USCIS hears cases from different eligible individuals and grants them TPS. It protects them from deportation for 18 months and grants them authorization to work in the United States. Itâs very common for USCIS to extend TPS, just as it can extend parole. However, just like parole, there is no path to citizenship or permanent residence in the United States. Itâs another short-term solution.
Itâs important to note that TPS only applies to foreign nationals who are present in the United States. Afghans outside of the U.S. canât apply for TPS. Only those in the country before March 15, 2022 â the date Afghanistan became eligible â can receive this status. While great for the Afghan community in the U.S., those left behind can’t benefit. Their only options are to apply for backlogged parole, SIV status, or asylum.
Afghans can also have multiple statuses at the same time. The majority of Afghan TPS holders are also parolees. While it may seem redundant to be a parolee and TPS holder at the same time, it grants Afghans extra protection from deportation.
Family Reunification
In January 2022, the State Department announced a new form that would allow Afghans to apply for family reunification. There are procedures for SIV recipients to have their families join them, but these channels are also significantly backlogged. However, for those granted humanitarian parole or TPS, there was no way to reunite with their families until January â unless their family members were also individually granted an immigration status. This new form allows the applicant to reunify with their spouse and unmarried children under 21.
Regardless, Afghans must once again face the bureaucracy of our immigration system just to see their family again. Who knows how long it could take, or what could happen in the meantime?
Extending Humanitarian Parole
This June, USICS announced a new program to let Afghans apply for re-parole, extending their humanitarian parole and letting them live in the U.S. for another 2 years. Theyâre actively examining each case and seeing if Afghans are eligible for re-parole. This time, Afghans are also exempt from the $575 fee. While this is a good step in assuring that Afghans can stay in the U.S., itâs another short-term solution.
What Does the Situation Look Like for the Afghan Community Now?
There are Afghans who have been U.S. citizens for years or are already lawful permanent residents. They came to the U.S. long before the military withdrew from Afghanistan. Their family and loved ones are stuck waiting for a decision on their parole or SIV case and fear for their lives.
There are Afghans who were granted parole and TPS. They just began their application to renew their parole status for another two years. While they can live and work in the U.S., they have no guarantee of what their future will look like in two yearsâ they have no path to citizenship. Those who qualify for SIV or asylum brave our immigration system and its eternal wait times. Theyâve applied for the new family reunification program and wait to see if theyâll be reunited with their families back home.
As the U.S. government rolls out short-term after short-term solution, Afghans have no other choice but to waitâin limbo.
Hear the stories of Sayed and Hashemi, two Afghans living in Spokane.
Antoine Herrbach is a 2023 Summer Intern for World Relief. He is a Senior at Gonzaga University, studying Political Science, History, and Economics.
5 Ways to Keep Welcoming Afghans
In August 2021, the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, and Kabul fell to the Taliban. Many Afghans, especially those who had assisted the U.S. government, were left at considerable risk. Since the withdrawal, an estimated 84,600 Afghans have been evacuated to the U.S.
Over the last year, people like you have helped us welcome 3,419 of those Afghans. World Relief staff, volunteers, church partners and donors have given generously of their time, friendship and resources to help these families and individuals begin rebuilding their lives.
Within weeks of the fall of Kabul, churches were gathering household supplies to transform empty apartments into homes for Afghan arrivals. Volunteers formed Good Neighbor Teams to help Afghan families adjust to life in the U.S. And, even as they began rebuilding their own lives, leaders emerged from the Afghan community to help us better welcome our new neighbors.
Now, we invite you to keep leaning in. Do not grow weary of doing good â the work of welcome doesnât stop when headlines fade.
Here are 5 ways you can keep building a movement of welcome for Afghans in the U.S. By continuing to advocate with, pray for and walk alongside Afghans, you can embody Christâs love for all people, whether or not theyâre making headline news.
1. Ask Congress to provide lasting protection for evacuated Afghans
Many of the Afghans evacuated to the U.S. were granted entry as “parolees.” This means their immigration status is temporary, leaving tens of thousands of Afghan women, men and children resettled in the U.S. with uncertain futures.
Take action today on behalf of your Afghan neighbors by emailing Congress and urging them to support the Afghan Adjustment Act, which will provide lasting protection to evacuated Afghans in the U.S.Â
2. Learn about Afghan culture to better connect with your Afghan neighbors
As Afghan evacuees continue to rebuild their lives in the U.S., you may find yourself wondering â How can I better connect with and serve my Afghan neighbors?
In the Afghan Culture Guide, an interactive, online course from the World Relief Workshop, we share essential knowledge about Afghan culture, unpack common tension points and provide practical tools to help move you towards a mutually enriching friendship with your Afghan neighbors. Now through September 30, enroll for 50% off with code AFGHANCULTUREGUIDE50.
3. Volunteer alongside Afghans in your community
Over the last year, volunteers across the U.S. have demonstrated love for their Afghan neighbors by serving alongside them. Whether providing transportation, helping newcomers learn English or making an apartment feel like home for a new arrival, volunteers play an essential role in embodying hospitality and welcome for refugees and immigrants, including those who have fled Afghanistan.
Find a local World Relief office near you to start your volunteer journey with us.
4. Apply to work at World Relief
If youâve ever wanted to grow your gifts and talents while serving your refugee and immigrant neighbors, this is your chance! World Relief is hiring for open positions across our U.S. network and internationally.
Whether you have a passion for mobilizing volunteers and churches to welcome refugees, advocating for the rights of immigrants or providing support and services to your newcomer neighbors, we need people like you to join our U.S. teams. Apply today to put your faith into action and be part of the movement of welcome.
5. Join The Path and give a gift that lasts
Rebuilding lives and regaining stability takes time. Over the next few months, World Relief is expected to resettle an additional 500 Afghans. When you join The Path as a monthly giver, you help ensure our newest immigrant neighbors are welcomed and supported. Together, we can sustain a movement of welcome long after the headlines fade.
Kelly Hill serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. She previously served as Volunteer Services Manager at World Relief Triad in North Carolina before moving to Salt Lake City. With a background in International and Intercultural Communication, she is passionate about the power of story to connect people of diverse experiences.
Stewarding Godâs Grace: Q&A with Andrea Sheldon Tshihamba
âEach of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.â
â 1 Peter 4:10
When Andrea first arrived in Durham with her husband four years ago, she left behind a career as an ESL teacher. Burnt out and looking to apply her energies to other outlets, she discovered World Relief Durham through a friend of her husbandâs. Andrea felt called to help.
At first, she was not looking to resume her ESL teaching. After spending time getting to know people within World Relief, Andrea was assigned to be a friendship partner to a family of new arrivals from Afghanistan.
âI was asked to accompany a now-former World Relief employee to visit two Afghan families â brothers, wives and nine kids all in one apartment,â Andrea said. âThey told me their biggest need was for their wives to learn English.â
Upon hearing this, Andrea felt as though God was speaking directly to her through this family and challenging her.
âAt the time, I was not currently teaching English and wasnât planning on changing that, but I couldnât stop myself from agreeing,â Andrea said. âImmediately, it became clear that this opportunity was a gift from God. I asked myself, âwhy was I not using what I knew how to do?ââ
In rising to Godâs challenge, Andrea has seen her community unite alongside her in leveraging talents and passions to serve. Now, as she works to mobilize other volunteers from her church she sees the immense impact World Relief has daily.
âYouâre the first friendly face a new arrival sees in a place so different from where they came, and thatâs a meaningful thing that they can hang on to when itâs hard and feel different,â Andrea said. âPeople are sometimes unkind. So, trying to love, lead and be friends with people arriving is a transformational act both for those arriving and those extending Godâs love. It is an essential pillar of our faith and in being a good person in general.â
This week, as we celebrate and observe National Volunteer Appreciation Week, weâre excited to share more of Andreaâs story with you.
Tell us more about how you got connected to World Relief.
Before moving to Durham, I was an ESL teacher and worked with immigrants in class.
When I moved here, I wasnât looking to teach ESL. I wanted to help refugees in other ways, and I was already comfortable working with people with the lowest level of English. Dave (Andreaâs pastor) pointed me to World Relief.
He paired me with a friendship partner, which was very difficult â the woman was older, and she had dementia which was unknown at the time. But it was a good learning experience. Next, I was then partnered with a 14-year-old girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo. [She had been] displaced to Kenya, and then arrived in the U.S. when she was in 4th or 5th grade.
The young girl had some learning deficits and posed a challenge. There have been periods when Iâve seen her multiple times a week when she needed more support. I would pick her up from school, grab a bite to eat, then work on vocabulary and tutoring.
Through this, I feel like I now have a close relationship with her family. I became close enough to go to her school with her mom and contact the teachers. We also have fun together. I will never forget when she said to me once, âYouâre so much more than a teacher.â Iâm sort of like the fun aunt in the family. Sheâs obsessed with K-pop, so I know all this stuff about K-pop.
How have you seen the community impacted by welcoming refugees?
There is an inherent joy in serving and connecting with people new to the community and from different backgrounds and cultures. That joy is transformational.
A few years ago, I was asked to accompany a now-former World Relief employee to visit two Afghan families â brothers, wives and nine kids all in one apartment at first. Eventually, they were able to rent the apartment adjacent.
They told me their most significant need was for their wives to learn English. At the time, I was not teaching English and wasnât planning on changing that, but I agreed. Immediately, it became clear that this opportunity was a gift from God. I asked myself, âwhy was I not using what I knew how to do?â
For someone interested in getting involved with World Relief, what would you tell them?
I feel my faith tells me to get involved. There are so many passages in the Old Testament that command us to welcome foreigners. World Relief is a great entry point if this is put on your heart through your faith. Itâs both a gift and a calling.
World Relief is the access point for us to reach out and impact. Iâm always waiting for World Relief to call me and say, âwe have a family arriving!â Iâve realized that I have a gift of mobilizing people and getting them to join me on my mission â our mission. Itâs what I love to do.
Nathan Spencer is a former Communications Intern for World Relief Memphis. A recent graduate of the University of Memphis, Nathan continues to volunteer for World Relief as a copywriter.Â
Welcoming the Welcomers: One Afghanâs Journey to the U.S.
As World Relief continues to resettle Afghans who were evacuated from Afghanistan, we are reminded that resettlement often comes with both grief and gratitude.
For Afghans like David, resettling in North Texas has been an immense gift of safety, security and community. And yet, he feels the heartache of leaving his home and extended family behind. We are grateful to David for sharing his story with us today.
A Culture of Hospitality
âThe most important thing to know about Afghans is, whenever a guest comes to our house, weâre happy for it,â David said. âWe say that guest is not only our guest, itâs Godâs guest that came to our house.â
David had just finished assisting the World Relief North Texas (WRNT) team with a cultural orientation for Afghans who had recently resettled in the area.
As an Afghan and newly arrived immigrant himself, his knowledge of both Afghan and American culture had quickly become a vital asset to the North Texas team in welcoming the influx of Afghan refugees who were arriving.
âI did work for the Americans for 19 years straight,â he said. âI know most of the cultures and how things work because if you work with someone from their country for 19 years, you get to hear a lot of stuff and you get to share your experience with them.â
The Day Life Changed
David, along with his wife and three children, was one of the 53,000 Afghans who were evacuated out of Kabul when it fell to the Taliban in August.
Growing up in Afghanistan, Davidâs father worked as a soldier for the Afghan special forces in Kandahar. Two of his brothers also worked for the coalition forces, and in 2002, shortly after the U.S. launched an attack against the Taliban, David began working with the U.S.
State Department as a translator.
The day the Taliban took Kabul, David was at work, and life changed dramatically for him.
âI had friends in town,â he said. âThey called me that day and said, âYou heard Taliban is in the city? People are running left and right and they’re just scared and don’t know what’s going to happen after this.ââ
When he got off the phone with his friend, he quickly went to his supervisor and informed them of what was happening. At first, no one believed him. They thought it was impossible for the Taliban to take over so quickly, and while David agreed that it seemed unbelievable, the truth soon became clear.
The Rush to Get Out
Over the next three days, David and his colleagues â Afghan and American alike â worked tirelessly to get rid of as much ammunition and military equipment as they could so as not to leave it in the hands of the Taliban. On the fourth day of his shift, though, David was told to go home, get his family and bring them back.
âThey told me, âbring your kids, wife, that we need to evacuate you guys as soon as possible from Kabul,â” David said. âI asked them, âwhat about my other family? Like my mother or my brother?â
âThey said, right now the only thing they could do is me and my wife and kids. They said they could get the rest of my family in the future, but right now, I needed to bring my wife and kids back to the base.â
David left work and drove back to his house. When he arrived, he and his wife packed everything they could into two bags.
âI had only three hours to prepare and we took all the necessary stuff that we needed from the house and made two bags and brought it with us,â he said.
When David and his family returned to the military base, they boarded a plane and left Afghanistan. Though they were now physically safe, the life they knew had been left behind.
Journeying to the U.S.
Over the next few days, David and his family made an exhausting journey across the globe. They spent one night in Qatar before flying to Germany where they stayed on a U.S. military base for seven days. David said that living conditions on the base were not great, but that he didnât blame anyone for the poor conditions. How could he when no one ever expected to have to house so many people with such short notice?
From Germany, David flew to D.C. where he and his family went through customs and border security before finally landing in El Paso, Texas where they would live on another U.S. military base for 30 days.
The two bags they had packed, however, didnât make it.
âWhen we got to Qatar, they took our bags,â David said. âThey said the first priority was to get us out from here, and then it’s the bags⊠For 20 days, we had to wear the same clothes and after 20 days, we finally got to take a shower and change clothes. They took our bags and I still havenât received them.â
While living conditions in El Paso were better than they were in Germany, life was still difficult. David and the other Afghans had to sleep in tents and wait in hours-long lines to get their food each day.
âI don’t blame them because in the camp where we were it was more than 10,000 people,â David said. âIt’s not easy to give food to 10,000 people, three times a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner.â
Each morning, David and several other Afghans would meet with leaders at the U.S. military base hoping for some update as to when they would be released from the base and resettled in a new home.
âWe were not hearing good news,â David said. âAll we were hearing was that we would have to stay here for longer and longer.â
His young kids were becoming restless, often wishing they had stayed in Afghanistan, believing that life was better there. While David tried to comfort them, he too was becoming impatient with living in a tent on a military base.
Eventually, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Beginning Again
Prior to the fall of Kabul, a few of Davidâs friends and family had been resettled by World Relief North Texas. It was through those friends that David heard about World Relief.
âI called [my friend] and said, âPlease talk to Jonathan (WRNT Program Manager). If itâs possible to get out from this camp…I donât want to wait. Itâs taking too long.ââ
David began making arrangements to leave the military base. He got copies of the necessary paperwork and medical records, booked plane tickets for his family, and left El Paso for Fort Worth. They spent their first night in Fort Worth at Davidâs cousinâs house, but the following day, Jonathan called David to say that an apartment was ready for them.
âHe got the apartment ready in two days. It was amazing,â David said. âI couldn’t believe they helped us so much. They brought food, furnitures, beds for the kids, everything. Everything was in the house like a family living already.â
David said that walking into the house was like taking a deep breath. His children were thrilled and immediately began asking about when they could go to school.
Over the next few days, World Relief caseworkers helped get Davidâs kids enrolled in school. Davidâs wife purchased fabric and began sewing herself new dresses since their bags remained lost. David began volunteering with World Relief, acting as a translator and liaison with new Afghans as they arrive in North Texas.
âI told Jonathan the other day if he needs help as a culture-wise, I know more about Afghans, how to provide good relations, and help and stuff. I’m always ready to help them.â
While David and his family are working hard to settle into life in the U.S. â applying for social security, getting a drivers license and working with World Relief to get their SIV case approved â the toll of the last few months still weighs on them and the other Afghans in their community.
âWhat we are requesting from you guys to just please be patient⊠Most of our people have done or have been through a lot of difficulties in Afghanistan and have given a lot of sacrifices when the U.S. military was in Afghanistan. Most of the people lost their brothers, their father, their families in what was going on in Afghanistan.â
You Can Help
Many Afghans, including David, still have family in Afghanistan who are trying to get out. They wait urgently for an update, and we wait and pray with them.
As World Relief works alongside the U.S. government to continue resettling Afghans like David, you can help. You can:
Pray: Pray for David, his family and others like them as they build a new life in the U.S. Pray also for the Afghan allies and civilians who are still seeking safety. Pray for World Relief Resettlement Staff as they work tirelessly to receive refugees as they arrive.
Advocate: Call on Congress to do everything in their power to evacuate as many as possible and resettle Afghan refugees. Together, we can stand with those who are suffering and influence our nation’s leaders to help vulnerable people around the world and in the U.S.
Give: You can respond to urgent crises, welcome immigrants like David and promote peace and justice across the globe by giving to World Relief today.
It takes all of us to build communities of love and welcome that we all feel proud to be a part of. Thank you for moving with us.
Rachel Clair is a Content Manager at World Relief. Alongside an amazing team of marketing colleagues, she manages the curation and creation of written and multi-media content for World Reliefâs global platforms. With more than 10 years of experience creating content for churches and non-profits, she is passionate about developing stories that challenge individuals and communities to lean into all of whom God created them to be. She holds a BFA from Stephens College and is currently pursuing a certificate in a Spiritual Formation at the Transforming Center in Wheaton, IL.
The Triad prepares to welcome nearly 1200 Afghan evacuees
World Relief Triad is excited to report that we are officially welcoming Afghan arrivals. As one of the many agencies welcoming nearly 1,200 afghan evacuees in the coming months, there are many needs.
Director of the Triad office, Rob Cassell, spoke on our offices’ integration services that will be provided. While there are many resources that have already been provided, the need is still prevalent.
âSo, for the community to come around and help us give some direct support. Helping with housing, helping with food, helping with medical support is very important,â Cassell said.
Learn more about how you can respond here, and watch this piece to hear about World Relief Triad’s position as a partner to the community in welcoming their new neighbors.
‘We need the community to surround them’: Triad resettlement agencies prepare to help people who fled Afghanistan
Arrivals to the Triad area from Afghanistan will be welcomed by World Relief Triad.
Our Executive Office Director, Rob Cassell, spple on behalf of World Relief Triad’s involvement as an agency accepting Afghan parolees.
Various resettlement agencies across the Triad have been made aware of the possible arrivals. Those from Afghanistan are referred to as âhumanitarian parolees.â Humanitarian parole is a status that some receive response to a crisis. It grants immigrants the ability to enter the country when otherwise they would not, such as with the arrival of Haitians and Cubans.
What this status means for these individuals, though, is that that they not receive the same rights and benefits as refugees, as Executive Director of World Relief Triad, Rob Cassell, points out as something to call upon Congress for in taking action.
“As things go right now, there are a lot of gaps to cover,” said Casell. “We all need connections. We all need people to help us. The success of these families and individuals will be based on their ability to make those connections and integrate into the community.”
Read more at News & Record Greensboro.
Triad agencies say they’ll help Afghan arrivals.
World Relief Triad’s office director speaks on behalf of nonprofit in response to Afghan crisis.
As the U.S. prepare to welcome Afghan evacuees, World Relief Triad is one of the many agencies listed as an agency welcoming to Afghan parolees. There is no clear number from Governor Cooper’s office, but agencies are preparing. Additionally, there is an expected 150 people to resettle in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Rob Cassell, Office Executive Director, speaks on behalf of office concerning the situation.
“This isn’t going to be a massive flow of people in the next few weeks,” says Cassell. “This is going to be people entering into our community over the next few months. So the need isn’t just going to be over the next few weeks.”
To learn more, watch this piece at WFMY News 2.
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