Afghans resettled in US fear being sent back as pathway to legal status stalls in Congress

More than 78,000 Afghan refugees relocated to the US as part of Operation Allies Welcome, but few have gained permanent status

On the day he turned 24 earlier this month, Asmatullah checked the status of his asylum request online, hoping that an approval would be his birthday gift.

When he realized that his case was still pending, he took a deep breath and looked up at the California sky, more than 7,000 miles away from the city he grew up in but that he fears returning to.