City Cast Pittsburgh logo
August 18, 2022

Pittsburgh: The City Afghan Evacuees Are Now Calling Home

City Cast Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh: The City Afghan Evacuees Are Now Calling Home

00:00:00
View all City Cast Pittsburgh episodes

In the year following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Pittsburgh has welcomed more than 700 Afghan evacuees. The non-profit Jewish Family and Community Services has helped many of them get settled in their new homes, but they’re still facing issues within the U.S. immigration system. City Cast’s Morgan Moody speaks with Ivonne Smith-Tapia, the Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at JFCS, and Zubair Babakarkhail, an Afghan journalist and interpreter, about where things stand one year out from the evacuation.

Zubair wrote about his new life in Pittsburgh for Postindustrial. You can learn more about JFSC’s work, and how to support Afghan evacuees here.



Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh!

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Hey Pittsburgh

Stay connected to City Cast Pittsburgh and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Latest Episodes

See all
August 28

Did Disney Do Us Dirty? Plus, Guerilla Crosswalks & Capo's Investigation

A new collaboration pairs Disney characters with every NFL team, and the choice to represent the Steelers has been… controversial. Did Di...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 27

Your Guide to Making Friends in Pittsburgh

It can be daunting to make new friends in Pittsburgh. Lots of people are still tight with their buddies from kindergarten, and it's not a...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 26

Is Flooding Getting Worse in Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh is on track to have its wettest August on record, which is especially concerning since flooding is our most frequent natural d...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 25

Taco Bell Lawsuit, Unsafe Sidewalks & Cryptid Dance Party

Is a local woman suing Taco Bell and Taylor Farms over cyclosporiasis? Is Downtown finally getting a grocery store in the form of Trader...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 24

Where To Eat Late in Pittsburgh

Back-to-school season means late nights are back — and sooner or later, you’re going to get hungry. We’re revisiting our 1,000th episode,...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 23

‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Portland Made Its River Cool — Presented By City Cast Pittsburgh

How often are you out in nature in Pittsburgh? It’s not always easy to know which natural resources are clean and safe to use in an urban...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 21

Pablo Pledgescobar, Impounded E-Scooters & Shapiro’s Data Center Play

Penn State frats are facing yet another scandal –– this time a cocaine trafficking ring that investigators say involved students, alumni,...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 20

Allegheny County’s Giant Tax Reset, Explained

Allegheny County has been ordered to reassess every residential and commercial property in the county — about 550,000 — for the first tim...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 19

The Bartenders' Guide to Pittsburgh Dive Bars

Who knows a great bar better than the people who’ve worked behind one? Pittsburgh bartenders Aubrey Halliburton and Lisa Considine, co-ow...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art
August 18

Can Butler County Flip? Plus TikTok Trouble & North Side Cats

A special election in Butler County could be a bellwether for Pennsylvania Democrats ahead of the midterms in November. Host Megan Harris...

City Cast Pittsburgh podcast episode art