refugees

The lives of Afghan civilians who worked alongside Americans were at risk once U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan. From more than 7,000 miles away, Army veteran and former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander devised a rescue mission, "Operation Bella," to get allies away from the Taliban.

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would begin deporting undocumented people on the first day of his term. His “largest deportation" in the country's history plan could affect tens of thousands of people across the region.

As nativist rhetoric hits a fever pitch ahead of the 2024 election, immigrants and refugees in Kansas City question their safety, and their future, in the U.S.

With many Republicans promoting anti-immigrant and racist messaging in the 2024 election, and support for deportations and other tough immigration policies, the director of KC For Refugees says her community feels increasingly isolated.

Facing genocide in Afghanistan, a family of Hazara refugees settled in Kansas City. But they remain separated from their son, who helped bring them here under the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrant’s Family Reunification program.

One naturalized Kearney resident, originally from Mexico, is ready to make her voice heard in the 2024 election. Nearly 900,000 immigrants and refugees became U.S. citizens in 2023, and the rapidly growing population could impact elections.

Among the struggles involved in re-establishing life in a new country, some Afghan parents fear their children will lose the cultural and historical connections that come with speaking Dari.

Informal soccer matches every Saturday on the open fields at Shawnee Mission North High School let Afghan refugees visit with people from their home country and speak their native languages. It's also a chance to improve their English.

After the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Kansas City welcomed hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan in 2021. Two years later, many refugees are in search of stable housing as the question of their immigration status remains in the air.

Tucked in the hills of the Ozarks near Arkansas and Oklahoma, Noel is a summer tourist destination that spans just two square miles. For three decades, migrants have come to work at the Tyson poultry plant, which offered jobs that didn’t require English proficiency at higher-than-minimum-wage pay — until it closed this month.

Refugees coming to Kansas City often need to learn how to drive in order to get a job or go to school. One Congolese man is stepping up to teach his fellow compatriots. Plus: Despite the fact that child care can cost more than a mortgage in Kansas, providers say they can barely afford to stay open.

Refugees often struggle to get to jobs, school or the store without adequate transportation. But getting a driver’s license in Kansas City is hard enough without the added barriers of a new language and culture. That's where Justin Bilombele comes in.