Worried Bay Area residents are desperately trying to obtain Special Immigrant visas for their loved ones trapped in Afghanistan and now under Taliban control.
The East Bay is home to the largest number of Afghan Americans in the country. Several dozen on Tuesday lined up outside California Rep. Eric Swalwell's Castro Valley office. They are taking him up on his offer to help check on visa statuses.
Only one person among them agreed to speak with KCBS Radio, provided she remains unidentified. She said she is beyond worried for her family.
"Definitely for their safety," the woman said. "I am very concerned about their safety."
She said her communications with family there are very guarded, and that Afghanistan is suddenly a police state.
"It's bizarre," she explained. "It is very North Korea-ish right now."
A survivor who previously escaped Taliban rule, she described the Bay Area's Afghan community as resilient.
"I think the panic is over," she said. "Now, we are trying to figure out what resources we have. We are hoping, the hope is still there that something can happen for our loved ones over there."
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