Afghan Americans

Immigration Patterns

Immigration patterns of Afghans before 1953 are difficult to estimate because relevant statistics are virtually nonexistent. However, the first Afghans to reach U.S. shores probably arrived during the 1920s or 1930s. Data from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service indicate that Afghans who entered the United States between 1953 and 1979 were highly educated and wealthy. Many Afghans entered the country as students and stayed. Others were trained under various developmental programs and were employed mainly in government administration and education. However, after the 1979 Soviet invasion, many Afghans were stranded in the United States as students or sought asylum as diplomats. For the following 10 years, Afghans who entered the United States were either refugees or reunifying with family members who were already living in the United States.

Contemporary Community

Immigration from Afghanistan has been uneven. Of those Afghan-born people in the United States in 2000, only 2% had entered the country prior to 2000. During the early 1990s, most Afghan arrivals were admitted as family-sponsored immigrants. Approximately 1,500 Afghan refugees were admitted to the United States each year until 1994, when admissions virtually ceased. The next wave of immigrants, mainly women and children, came between 1996 and 1999 due to a lack of social services after the Tajik government collapsed.

During recent years, people from Afghanistan have sought permanent residency and refugee status and have completed the naturalization process to become citizens. From 1997 to 2002, approximately 1,000 Afghans immigrated to the United States annually. Then, reflecting the U.S. involvement in that country, as many as 4,000 Afghans were granted legal permanent status annually. Similarly, the number of refugees arriving has increased but with a somewhat different pattern. Between 1,400 and 3,000 arrived from 2000 to 2003, but the number dropped to less than 1,000 for the period from 2004 to 2006. At least 1,000 Afghan Americans have become naturalized citizens annually since 1997.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2005, there were 71,552 people of Afghan national origin in the United States in 2005. In terms of geographic distribution, the top five states were California, Virginia, New York, Maryland, and Texas. The San Francisco Bay area, with eight mosques and many cultural organizations and businesses, is the largest Afghan community. Other large Afghan communities can be found in northern Virginia and the Los Angeles area. According to the 2000 census, 47.7% speak English less than “very well.” The median family income was $36,967, as compared with $50,890 for the nation as a whole.

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