ESCAPING T Lawyer helps Afghan interpreter flee Kabul By Alex Gallagher
Darius Amiri is the chair of the immigration department and an attorney at Rose Law Group who worked tirelessly to free an Afghan interpreter from Kabul. (Photos courtesy of Rose Law Group)
26 / SCOTTSDALE AIRPARK NEWS / SEPTEMBER 2021
s chair of Rose Law Group’s immigration department, attorney Darius Amiri has helped countless clients around the world gain legal status in the United States. He is used to fighting through bureaucratic processes and filling out papers upon papers to help clients obtain a green card, business visa or asylum. But Amiri never thought his work at the Scottsdale firm would end up saving a life. Amiri was referred to a case a few years ago by a high school friend who was a Marine battalion commander and wanted to help an Afghan interpreter appeal his denied application for immigration — a time-consuming process. “He has to pass clearances, background checks, biometrics and medical exams,” Amiri says of the yearslong process. The interpreter, who was only identified as Zabi to protect his identity from Taliban forces, had been going through the process in Kabul, and when the capital city of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on August 15, Zabi lost the luxury of patiently waiting for the bureaucracy. He knew if he was found by the Taliban, he was going to be killed. “As the Taliban began to come back into Kabul, he asked what more could be done because there was no embassy or office to go to,” Amiri says. With that in mind, Amiri began reaching out to members of Congress and was fortunate enough to receive a response from U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly’s office, which
