Elise Blanchard is a soon-to-be journalism graduate from Columbia University in New York and Sciences Po in Paris. She is on Twitter @eliseblchrd. https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/contributor/elise-blanchard/rss en Crises & Conflicts Laws & Policy Fri, 16 Jun 2017 07:04:11 +0000 Elise Blanchard https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2017/06/16/waiting-for-a-u-s-visa-in-the-taliban-heartland https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2017/06/16/waiting-for-a-u-s-visa-in-the-taliban-heartland The U.S. special immigrant visa program offers a way out for Afghans in danger after working with the Americans. But delays have driven one Afghan interpreter in Kandahar back to the translation work that has already brought him death threats from the Taliban. Crises & Conflicts Laws & Policy Wed, 11 Jan 2017 12:16:39 +0000 Elise Blanchard https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2017/01/11/afghan-translators-hope-u-s-visas-will-arrive-before-taliban-does https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2017/01/11/afghan-translators-hope-u-s-visas-will-arrive-before-taliban-does Congress recently renewed a visa program for Afghans working with U.S. forces, but with far fewer openings than previous years. This has left thousands of Afghans living in fear as they wait out the backlog.