Hewad Hemat remembers the feeling when he reached the United States for the first time in 2014.

Hemat started with the U.S. military in Afghanistan starting in 2006, but eventually fled the country after receiving threats.

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“I felt it, like the safety of it,” Hemat said. “Now I'm here, I’m safe. So now I’m so happy at that point.”

Hemat obtained a special immigration visa after two years of vetting, allowing him to enter the country legally.

Then he obtained permanent legal status in the form of a green card two months later. He became a U.S. citizen in 2020.

Hemat, who was an interpreter and media manager in Afghanistan, now works as senior manager of resettlement service for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Serv

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