An Afghan man who supported NATO forces by running an electronics business at the Kandahar airfield during the war now faces the terrifying prospect of ICE deportation from the United States. His two-year US visa has expired, and despite years of applications to come to Canada, he has received no response from Ottawa.
CBC News is protecting his identity, calling him Mr Frank, as he fears for his safety. Everything is gone, he says. I don't have another way. When the Afghan government fell to the Taliban in 2021, he went into hiding with his family to avoid retribution for his work with Western forces.
In 2021, Ottawa promised to bring 40,000 Afghan residents who helped NATO forces to Canada. More than 50,000 Afghans have made it to Canada so far, but Mr Frank's family remains in limbo. His daughter Nabila says simply that Canada has failed them and did not help or support them.
Retired Canadian Major Tim Guizhou, a Newfoundlander who worked alongside Mr Frank at the Kandahar airfield, has been advocating tirelessly to bring the family to Canada. He recalls the day he arrived in January 2011 when the airfield came under attack and 14 people were killed.
Those that serve with you, they are your brothers in arms, and we have a duty to them, says Guizhou. He promises he will not be deterred and will keep fighting to bring the Frank family to safety in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada responded to CBC's inquiry with a standard statement saying they cannot disclose information on individual cases. This bureaucratic response has done little to comfort a family living in fear of deportation.
The case highlights a growing gap between Canada's promises to Afghan allies and the reality on the ground. While tens of thousands have been resettled, an unknown number of Afghans who directly supported Canadian and NATO operations remain stranded, their applications lost in a system that many say is failing those who risked everything to help.