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NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, September 22nd.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: Afghan immigrants.

The recent American pullout from Afghanistan brought danger to people there who worked as the eyes and ears for U.S. servicemen.

EICHER: As of June, about 20,000 Afghans were waiting for Special Immigrant Visas. Many of them faced death threats from the Taliban for working as translators. Going back to the year 2006, some 75,000 Afghan applicants and their families have arrived in the United States courtesy of this program.

REICHARD: Four years ago, WORLD’s Jill Nelson met one of those families after they arrived in California. In light of recent events, she decided to follow up with them.

MAHZON: Salam Alaikum. (Alaikum. hello...). It's good to see you. (Good to see you again).

JILL NELSON, REPORTER: Abdali Mahzon hasn’t aged at all, and he seems happy. His whole face smiles as he opens the door, though he’s noticeably tired. That’s understandable as he works overnight as a security guard and takes college courses during the day

He’s had only a few hours of sleep but still welcomes me into his home. Three large Afghan rugs cover the living room floor and embroidered curtains hang by the windows. His seven kids range in age from 7 to 17, and three of them greet me. I ask them about their favorite American foods:

KIDS: Chicken. And chicken nuggets. / French fries and chicken nuggets. / I mean it’s a little mean, but the truth is I don't like American food.

They live in a second floor apartment in El Cajon, California, about 17 miles east of downtown San Diego. This city has a substantial Afghan population, and that has made the adjustment easier for the Mahzon family.

Mahzon worked for the U.S. Army. He began as a translator, but switched to journalism. From 2008 to early 2017, he helped produce and record U-S Army broadcasts to counter Taliban propaganda. When his work became more public, he ended up on the Taliban’s hit list … and began receiving threat letters and phone calls.

MAHZON: Many, many, many times. Not one time, many times...

Mahzon tried to escape the danger by moving to a remote village in Afghanistan’s Khost Province. But in 2014, men tried to kidnap his daughters, and he has no doubt they were connected to the Taliban.

MAHZON: My two daughters were going to school. In the middle of the road some people parked the car for them and they wanted to kidnap them.

The girls escaped, but Mahzon knew it was time to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa. After completing the detailed 14-step process and waiting for two years, they received their approvals and promptly moved to California. He was relieved to escape the Taliban-issued death sentences, but some parts of their new life that first year were challenging.

His oldest daughter Salma describes some of their earlier struggles:

SALMA: The first thing was my mom got sick...

A short time after their arrival, her mom developed serious anxiety and was in the hospital for a month.

SALMA: ...And also the language. The language was very difficult.

Salma’s mom missed her family back home, and the language barrier made daily living stressful. Medication helped her symptoms.

The last time we met, Salma’s brother was terrified of loud noises at school, like fire drills and horns. They reminded him of the suicide bombing and mortar attack near their house in Afghanistan.

Mahzon is happy to report his son is no longer afraid, and the school has hired translators for Afghan students. He says all of his kids are thriving.

MAHZON: We are feeling safe here. And my kids go to school. All my seven kids are going to school so I'm not worried about them.

His face beams when 10-year-old Hamayoun shows me the medals he earned in two spelling bees at school.

HAMAYOUN: It was this year and when I was in second grade.

Mahzon is proud of paying down his travel loan. He borrowed $11,000 from the International Organization for Migration for their nine plane tickets to the United States. After paying $200 a month, he now has only $4000 to go.

He takes me over to the kitchen to share some of his money-saving tips. He went in with four other families to buy a slaughtered cow and split the meat. It’s neatly stacked in the freezer.

MAHZON: I think it was 120 pounds or something in each family.

And his first car had only five seats. It took two trips to get his entire family to the park. He eventually saved enough money to buy a larger vehicle.

Their two-bedroom apartment is small for a family of nine but they make it work. Some of the kids sleep in the living room. Floor cushions line the wall and this is where we sit for lunch. The girls arrange a large plastic tablecloth on the floor and deliver plates of potatoes, beef, salad, and liver.

Life has become easier for this family, but Mahzon’s face darkens when I ask about the current state of Afghanistan.

MAHZON: Taliban in media, in the international media, say they have forgiveness for everybody. But it is not true.

They are worried about their friends and family back home. One of his relatives told him about a family in Mazar-e-Sharif. The wife worked for the Afghan government and the father was a police officer. He says the Taliban came in the middle of the night and killed all 13 family members, even the little children.

Mahzon says there’s no way to verify this incident, but it’s consistent with other reports in the region. Media coverage is scarce because the Taliban threatens journalists and activists.

MAHZON: Not any media covered that incident. And also the social media activists are right now not posting anything. If they post anything in the social media, the Taliban find them and kill them.

A new wave of Afghan refugees has arrived in El Cajon, and that reminds the Mahzon family of their own arrival four years ago. When housing is hard to find, they invite families to stay with them temporarily. The girls tell me their parents are generous and give their bedroom to new families.

The adjustment wasn’t easy, but 17-year-old Salma says they are grateful for their new lives in the United States.

SALMA: I like everything here, like we used to stay at home in Afghanistan. Here we can walk, just walk outside without any fear.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jill Nelson.

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