By S. Shrestha
Belonging refers to the feeling of being accepted and emotionally connected to a group. It involves feeling included, valued, and recognized for one’s identity, culture, background, and contributions.
The need to belong is deeply human. For migrants and refugees, a sense of belonging can take many forms—legal recognition, cultural connection, and feeling seen and accepted in a new place. But belonging looks different for everyone and is shaped by a mix of personal identity, emotional attachment, and broader social and political realities.
Image of new citizen holding an American flag during a Naturalization ceremony. Retrieved from Getty Images.
From Fall 2022 to 2024, the Immigration Lab at American University conducted interviews with 39 Afghan immigrants and refugees in the United States. These interviews highlighted the emotional, legal, and political liminality many were experiencing as they navigated unfamiliar environments, language barriers, cultural dissonance, and labor market exclusion.
For many, the question of whether they truly belonged remained unanswered. Their testimonies revealed that belonging is often shaped by, and sometimes denied through, seemingly small but powerful experiences: a comment on one’s accent, a name questioned, struggles in finding jobs, or the lack of recognition for past professional experience.
Understanding what shapes belonging is so important—because it directly impacts how immigrants adjust and feel supported. One powerful influence is social location: a person’s layered identities, like race, gender, class, religion, and language, and how those identities are treated by a society. These factors play a huge role in how people are perceived, welcomed, or integrated into their host countries.
Social Location also shapes the practical, everyday decisions migrants make, mainly around where to live and how to build support systems in unfamiliar places. Approximately 19,000 Afghan immigrants reside in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) metro area, and many of those interviewed echoed this sentiment—citing pre-existing social networks, including family members, as key reasons for settling in the region.
Even in areas where they had a social support network, Afghan immigrants encountered a range of emotional and structural challenges as they navigated life in the U.S. While many expressed a strong desire to adapt to new cultural norms and expectations, they faced obstacles that affected both their personal lives and their careers. For many, starting over professionally proved to be one of the hardest adjustments. They spoke about the struggle to find work, the need for personal referrals to secure a job, and the challenge of seeing their education or experience devalued in the U.S. job market.
“The biggest challenge not only for me, but for all Afghans––almost for everyone––is referrals. If you have a referral, you can easily find a job. If you have experience but no one has referred you, no one will select you.”
––Abdul, Afghan Man, 44 years old
“When I came to the U.S. and learned that my education was not valid, especially in media or journalism, it was devastating. It’s such a high-level profession here. But with my limited English, I can’t find a job…”
––Saabir, Afghan Man, 45 years old
Others described how bias and assumptions about their race, religion, or accent shaped how they were treated and limited their opportunities. They reflected on moments when their identity was questioned before their abilities were even considered.
“I am being discriminated [against] because of my accent…. I’m getting assigned some projects because of my background. Like, ‘Oh, you’re Afghan, so you’ll talk to Afghan clients.’”
––Amina, Afghan Woman, 32 years old
“I think it’s a little bit negative because I have a Muslim name. I am Muslim, but I don’t practice Islam, but I think some people, when they don’t meet me, they just see my name and think, “Oh she’s very restrictive, I don’t know if she’s going to be a team player or not,” so l think it plays like a… preventive… or not really positive for the job market.”
––Zahra, Afghan Woman, 39 years old
Acculturation & Belonging
Belonging isn’t just social; it is also extremely personal, influenced by emotional attachment and one’s individual identity. In this case, migration involves more than the physical journey from one place to another. It involves the loss of familiar social structures, language, cultural values, and a sense of community. Many migrants experience this as a disconnection from their cultural roots.
Language, in particular, becomes a powerful tool for preserving identity and transmitting culture to the next generation, even while living far from one’s place of birth. For many Afghan families, speaking Dari or Pashto at home is more than just a way to communicate; it’s a deliberate effort to preserve cultural identity. Parents often worry that their children, surrounded by English at school and in public life, may lose touch with their native language and, in turn, their heritage. Several interviewees emphasized this concern, sharing how they actively maintain multilingual households to keep that connection alive. As one parent explained:
“I am speaking three languages with my children. My first language, Pashto. Pashto is my first language, as it used to be my dad’s language. Farsi, we are talking at home, and also English.”
––Darya, Afghan Woman, 40 years old
Similarly, food and festivals also remain a resilient and deeply symbolic aspect of identity. When asked whether they still eat Afghan food, most participants said they cook traditional meals two or three times a week, preserving their cultural connection through taste, routine, and memory. However, maintaining other cultural traditions in a new country can be more complicated. One participant shared:
“A number of our close relatives is not here, so and even if we have some relatives [here], they are all busy working, so we do not have the time to celebrate, and for example if we have Eid, then during Eid the American government, unlike the government in Afghanistan will not give a holiday so….”
––Sayyid, Afghan Man, 27 years old
Political Exclusion
The political climate and policies of a host country also play a critical role in shaping an immigrant’s sense of belonging. Citizenship and permanent residency function not only as legal statuses but as forms of membership, paving a path to societal recognition and stability. For many immigrants, gaining these statuses marks a turning point in feeling fully included.
These policies do more than determine who can enter the country; they influence how immigrants integrate, participate, and whether they feel accepted in their host country. When one Afghan interviewee was asked whether he felt like he belonged in the U.S., he responded:
“I like it now…. I trust that people are kind…”
––Amir, Afghan Man, 38 years old
While answering the question, he paused several times—searching for the right words or grappling with what “belonging” truly means. These pauses reveal an internal struggle: he wants to build a life and trust in a new community, but the uncertainty of his legal status keeps him from fully embracing that sense of home. It’s not a lack of desire to belong, but a fear that this “new home” could be taken away at any moment. His unfinished sentence reveals a common thread among many Afghan refugees: a hope tempered by legal uncertainty and the fragility of temporary status. Indeed, in recent months, many have lost their Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and may face deportation.
Uncertainty is also influenced by experiences of exclusion. As another Afghan interviewee noted:
“We can face the racism… while you know we are immigrants: they don’t give us homes or the rent, not only because of credit scores. But because they don’t want to give homes to the immigrants.”
––Darya, Afghan Woman, 40 years old
In 2021, following the withdrawal of US and allied troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration launched Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), granting temporary humanitarian parole to over 76,000 Afghans. While parole allowed them to enter and remain in the U.S., it offered no pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, leaving thousands in legal uncertainty. In response to the ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was granted on May 20, 2022. However, that protection expired on May 20, 2025, and terminations began as early as July 14—deepening the fear and instability for so many who are seeking safety and a chance to rebuild their lives.
The Afghan Adjustment Act, introduced in August 2022, aimed to address legal gaps and offer a pathway to permanent status for Afghans paroled in the U.S. Despite bipartisan support, the bill failed to pass. Opponents expressed concerns about the rigor of vetting procedures and the cost of implementation. However, advocates argue that the bill’s failure has more to do with the absence of a strong lobbying effort to push it through. Further compounding the uncertainty, earlier this year, President Trump ordered a pause on the US Refugee Admission Program, suspending aspects of the Afghan resettlement program, leaving thousands of eligible refugees in limbo even before the U.S. withdrawal.
“Some people were evacuated from Afghanistan, but they couldn’t find a job, or they were just on parole. Their situation is not clear—what will happen? Parole is for two years, I think. After that, I don’t know…”
––Abdul, Afghan Man, 44 years old
Key Takeaways
Belonging is an evolving process shaped by emotional ties, cultural identity, social reception, and political structures. For Afghan immigrants and refugees in the US, the journey of acculturation is not only about learning a new language, cooking familiar food, and celebrating their traditions. It is also about navigating legal precarity, confronting exclusion while holding onto hope.
“I’m not generalizing, but for most Americans here, I will still be an immigrant that wouldn’t fit into this community because of my skin, maybe because of my race, or maybe because of where I came from”
––Iman, Afghan Man, 34 years old
These testimonies remind us that belonging isn’t just about arriving, but about being accepted, able to build a life, contribute, and thrive. The personal assessments shared are those of individuals who had arrived recently and lived in the U.S. for less than a couple of years. Indicators of integration and feelings of belonging vary with time; feeling at home takes years. Full integration is measured in generations, so it is too early to tell how these Afghans and especially their children will fare in the United States. They will likely find a way to keep what they most important to their identity while finding ways to contribute to the United States. These early assessments show the importance of legal certainty regarding the ability to remain in the United States and the key roles that work plays in the integration of adults and schools in the case of minors. Afghans were able to enroll their children in school and find jobs, often with long hours, low pay, and below their educational credentials and skills —but these entry-level positions can serve as a first step as they navigate U.S. society, culture, and labor markets.
S. Shrestha is a Research Assistant at the Immigration Lab.
Edited by Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Immigration Lab and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS), Katheryn Olmos, Research & Data Coordinator, Noah Green, Research Intern at CLALS and the Immigration Lab.
