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In California’s desert, refugees from Afghanistan make a new life for themselves

The Santiago Desert Estates sits at the edge of Mojave, a short distance from wind turbines and Joshua trees. It's one of the last affordable rental markets in California, which is one big reason the mobile home park has become a community for Afghan refugees in the state.
Joshua Yeager
/
KVPR
The Santiago Estates of Mojave sits at the edge of Mojave, a short distance from wind turbines and Joshua trees. It's one of the last affordable rental markets in California, which is one big reason the mobile home park has become a community for Afghan refugees in the state.

MOJAVE, Calif. — Haroon Rhmi remembers his first night in Mojave vividly.

The 22-year-old camped out in his car as wind howled around him. He slept with the emergency brake pulled to keep the vehicle from swaying.

“I thought I was going to wake up in Los Angeles,” he jokes, in a thick accent.

Nearly three years after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, more than 150 refugees fleeing Taliban rule have found homes in California’s Mojave Desert. About 30 Afghan families call the Santiago Estates of Mojave, in the tiny town of Mojave, home.

Rhmi arrived just over a year ago. His parents and three brothers remain in Afghanistan, where he fears they could face retribution from the Taliban. Rhmi says his father helped the U.S military and is therefore a target.

“There is danger for my father. I worry for him every night,” he says.

Rhmi feels safe in America. But the transition hasn’t been easy.

Iconic Joshua trees and wind turbines greet travelers as they enter the community of Mojave. More than 150 Afghan refugees are building new lives in the town, three years after United States' chaotic departure from the country.
Joshua Yeager
/
KVPR
Iconic Joshua trees and wind turbines greet travelers as they enter the community of Mojave. More than 150 Afghan refugees are building new lives in the town, three years after United States' chaotic departure from the country.

Mojave’s remote location presents some challenges for someone like him who is so new, and is still finding his footing.Chiefly, a lack of public transportation and job development programs make it hard to get far.

The nearest college is in the city of Lancaster, about 50 miles roundtrip from Mojave. Rhmi measures the distance in dollars: about $100 for an Uber ride.

“It’s too much,” he says.

Assistance for refugees

A network of nonprofit and government agencies have worked with the resettled refugees to provide assistance and connect refugees to potential employers.

Masood Farzan is a community manager with Affordable Community Living, which owns the mobile home park. He says most refugees have been able to find jobs within a few weeks of obtaining a work permit.

“Almost all of them have jobs now, even though they don’t speak English, which was surprising for me,” he said. He adds that many work at nearby fast-food restaurants, in security or at local motels.

Farzan is also from Afghanistan. He immigrated to the states in 2016 after working as an interpreter for the armed special forces and for the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. He watched from half a world away as his home country collapsed.

“It was a nightmare for every Afghan,” he says. “That’s all I can say. It was a nightmare.”

Ted Hodgkinson is the president of the Mojave Chamber of Commerce. He's welcomed Afghan refugees and says immigrants have long been a staple of the region's workforce.
Joshua Yeager
Ted Hodgkinson is the president of the Mojave Chamber of Commerce. He's welcomed Afghan refugees and says immigrants have long been a staple of the region's workforce.

Even though he couldn’t help those back home during the madness that ensued in 2021, Farzan has found purpose helping refugees here. For example, he teaches English courses at the mobile home park three nights a week. He says it’s a valuable tool.

“Once they learn English, they can go anywhere,” he says.

For now, though, Mojave makes a lot of sense for people like refugees, since California is an expensive place to live. Farzan says Affordable Community Living offers three-bedroom mobile homes for as little as $400 a month. Even then, about a dozen units remain vacant.

The organization plans to expand the park with 80 more units, with the expectation that more refugees will settle in Mojave.

Mojave, a town of immigrants?

Immigrants have long had a place in Mojave, according to Ted Hodgkinson. He is president of the Mojave Chamber of Commerce and welcomes the town’s newest residents.

Historically, immigrants have made up part of the workforce at places like the Mojave Air and Space Port, where engineers from around the globe complete aerospace contracts for the likes of NASA and SpaceX. Others have found jobs in the region’s wind and solar farms, and at the world’s largest boron mine, located just outside of town.

“This is a nation of immigrants, and a refugee nation. We are. That’s our history,” he says as jets whir overhead.

.Hodgkinson says right now he knows housing and transportation are issues for the new residents. But he sees the Afghan community fitting in better as time goes on, just like others have.

“It’s just a continuation of what I’ve seen in the past in Mojave. We have a lot of different people who have come in and moved into our town, and worked in the area, not only from the United States but all over the world,” he said.

‘It’s a new start’

Back at the mobile home park, an ice cream truck offers treats to children on a blistering summer day.

Rhmi looks on, as he remembers his family.

“For me, family is everything,” he says.

He is working on getting a green card, and wants to bring his parents with him eventually. In the meantime, he found a wife, got married, and the couple recently welcomed a baby boy.

“It’s a new start,” he says. “I’m happy to be here in America.”

Joshua Yeager is a Report For America corps reporter covering Kern County for KVPR.