DES MOINES, Iowa — Since August of 2021 fear lingers in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power. This left any Afghan citizen with ties to the United States at risk to be attacked or worse - killed.
Senior attorney at Dorsey & Whitney Law Firm, Jennifer Block primarily worked as a securities lawyer. That is until she received an email asking her to work on an immigration case for an Afghani family of nine looking to escape the reign of the Taliban.
"Thought about it, and I deleted it, and then we got another email, like they still needed help, and there were more families. And I let it sit for a while, and I let it sit." Jennifer Block said.
After pondering over the decision for a moment, there was one source of motivation that pushed Block to say yes.
"You start going through the documents, and you start seeing pictures of, you know, these seven beautiful children and these adoring parents, and you couldn't help but become almost immediately attached," she said.
She didn't realize just how attached she would become to this family and how much her life would intertwine with theirs.
"It really has grown our family. Like, it's just hard to imagine how we did things before they got here," Block said.
Now, the family is learning how to live the Iowa life.
"They are appreciating Iowa like they're appreciating green trees, and you know, the dad has said, it's just like the trees are singing. It's so beautiful," Block said.
All while grieving the loss of their life at home, and the loved ones they were forced to leave behind.
"They loved their culture, they loved their topography, that, like they loved everything, but they didn't like living in fear, and they didn't like worrying that somebody was going to come shake them down, or, do you know, or worse," Block said.
She hopes other Iowans are as welcoming to the family as she is.
"Park your judgment at the door. Like you can't even imagine the kinds of horrors people are trying to flee, particularly these folks from Afghanistan who were walking alongside the U.S.," Block said.
This bond has inspired Block to help other refugee families all thanks to a pro bono email request.
