UCLA Law

The Afghan Scholars Project is assisting students, faculty, and alumni of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in applying for humanitarian parole in the United States. The Afghan Scholars Project is a collaborative that includes Stanford Law School affiliates, AUAF board members (Professor Erik Jensen, Deborah Zumwalt, General Counsel of Stanford), and Innovation Law Lab, a legal nonprofit.

The fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban in August 2021 has created an urgent crisis for millions of Afghans. Those at particularly high risk of Taliban attacks and reprisals include women and girls, ethnic and religious minority groups, human rights advocates, journalists, and individuals who worked with or on behalf of the United States during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The U.S. government was able to evacuate some of these individuals and their families, but hundreds of thousands more remain in Afghanistan, and many are seeking any opportunity for safe passage out of the country. Of these individuals, staff members, former students, and other affiliates of the AUAF, a U.S.-funded institution in Kabul that has provided educational opportunities to thousands of graduates, are at particularly high risk.

For this reason, the Afghan Scholars Project is planning to apply for humanitarian parole for as many AUAF scholars as possible. Humanitarian parole will allow these scholars to enter the United States to seek refuge. There are thousands of applications, and we urgently seek law students, pro bono attorneys, and non-law volunteers to help us in this effort.

Pro bono attorneys would provide support in supervising volunteers and proofreading the extensive paperwork necessary for each application. Law students and non-law volunteers will help applicants compile their humanitarian parole application. No previous immigration or refugee expertise is required, and we will provide trainings on all aspects of the process and required forms. This is an opportunity for pro bono attorneys, law students, and non-law volunteers to engage in urgent matters with the potential to have significant and meaningful impact on the lives of thousands of at-risk Afghans. Support for these scholars is urgently needed, and we believe with your help, we could make a real difference in the effort to respond to the crisis in Afghanistan.

If you are interested, please fill out this volunteer signup form: https://innovation-law-lab.typeform.com/to/afdPZczV.