PLYMOUTH, Minnesota — In the parking lot of the Northwest Islamic Community Center on Thursday afternoon, Sonia Anunciacion welcomed donations of food, clothes, hygiene products and other essential items for Afghans relocating to the Upper Midwest in the coming weeks.
Minnesota expects to welcome up to 65 Afghans on special immigrant visas by the end of September, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. More than half have already arrived as of mid-August.
Wisconsin's Fort McCoy, meanwhile, may take up to 10,000.
"I just decided to collect what I can," Anunciacion said. "I'm storing them right now in my basement. And I'm hoping that families can reach out, or the organizations working with them, can let me know when they're ready and we'll drop it right off."
Anunciacion has family living in Afghanistan, where the ongoing crisis escalated on Thursday when the Taliban's rival Islamic State claimed responsibility for multiple suicide bombers at the airport.
Tens of thousands of Afghans, including Anunciacion's relatives, are still trying to flee the country, but they are running into extreme difficulty obtaining special immigrant visas required for entry to the U.S. Those visas are largely being extended to Afghans who partnered with the U.S., like interpreters and translators, or others who are exceedingly vulnerable to the Taliban.
"We're getting a lot of calls from family. They're terrified. They don't know if their children are safe, if their daughters are safe," Anunciacion said. "We've been calling them. We've asked them to send all their information, passports, ID. I've reached out to Amy Klobuchar's office. But, unfortunately, because they haven't been translators or don't have special visas, it's very difficult to get them here now... It's very unsafe right now for them to even leave their homes. So, right now, I don't think it's possible to get them here."
With that uncertainty lingering, organizers are planning a rally and vigil at Loring Park on Saturday at 4 p.m., to raise awareness and offer support for the people of Afghanistan.
Nasreen Sajady, an organizer and educator in Minnesota whose parents were born in Afghanistan, said the event will support refugees and also "educate folks on what happened, how it happened and what is going on currently."
Sajady said the initial chaos of the Taliban takeover has only compounded with the latest news.
"In the beginning, there was a lot of frantic, 'How do we get people to know what's happening, how do we stop this?' Now, I think the pain is starting to set in more," Sajady said. "With the news that came out today, it's like I didn't realize how much lower my heart could sink."
But Sajady offered a message about the people of Afghanistan:
"The women are strong. We are strong women. And our men are good men. There are always bad apples, but we have good men and good women and good community," she said.
That has been reinforced in Minnesota, too.
"All the Afghans in the community have been the biggest advocates for the people of Afghanistan. They've really come through," Sonia Anunciacion said. "I'm really thankful for all Minnesotans. They've really helped a lot."
Another donation drop-off is scheduled on Sunday morning from 10 a.m. to noon at the parking lot of the Northwest Islamic Community Center, 3300 Plymouth Boulevard, Plymouth, MN, 55447.