Janis Shinwari, an Afghan interpreter who worked for many dangerous years as a translator for American forces and who saved "at least five American lives," struggled for years to get an immigrant visa to the US, even though he qualified for the special immigrant visa for Afghans and was in hiding because of the death threats. Paul Solotaroff in Men's Journal reports on Shinwari's plight (his immigrant visa was approved, revoked, and then approved, and now he is in the US) along with other interpreters and fixers who risked their lives to help American forces and now face death threats in their home country and incredible difficulties in obtaining the Congressional-approved immigrant visas for Afghans who worked for the US government. Shinwari says of his fellow interpreters: "'They have two options: America or die, because the people there, they think we are traitors[.]"

(via Longreads)