{"id":94478,"date":"2026-01-23T10:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/94478\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:18:21","slug":"the-erie-advocate-helping-immigrants-resettle-spotlight-pa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/94478\/","title":{"rendered":"The Erie advocate helping immigrants resettle \u2022 Spotlight PA"},"content":{"rendered":"

PA Local Heroes is a monthly feature sponsored by Ballard Spahr<\/a>. Installments appear first in PA Local, Spotlight PA\u2019s weekly newsletter that takes a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After almost 10 years of serving the American military as an interpreter and advisor, Saeedullah Taraky moved his family from Afghanistan to the U.S.<\/p>\n

Landing in Erie in 2022, Taraky began working to help other immigrants and refugees. First, he served as a case manager with Catholic Charities Counseling and Adoption Services, where he assisted Afghans with scheduling citizenship and immigration appointments and preparing cases with attorneys, and served as an interpreter.<\/p>\n

In that same time period, he helped found the Afghan Community of Erie, Pennsylvania, which connects Afghans in the city and region.<\/p>\n

He later took a role with the City of Erie, liaising between the local government and immigrants and refugees \u2014 work he\u2019s continued as a member of Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, and as chair of Diverse Erie, an org that aims to increase private investment in minority businesses.<\/p>\n

These efforts earned him a nomination for our PA Local Heroes series, sponsored by Ballard Spahr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Afghan Community of Erie, Pennsylvania was founded in December 2022 and helps prepare immigrants for citizenship tests, find jobs, and improve their English fluency.<\/p>\n

Many of its programs focus on helping immigrants navigate cultural differences. A big one, Taraky said, is that in Afghanistan most people did not often use computers. That\u2019s not the case in the United States, where everyday activities like grocery shopping and making appointments involve technology. So the Afghan Community of Erie, Pennsylvania offers digital literacy courses to help newcomers adjust.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore digital literacy, nobody was able to use a laptop computer,\u201d Taraky said of immigrants the organization has helped. \u201cNow they’re able to use at least basic use of the computers, and it helped them with employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

This means they now can search for and apply to jobs online, Taraky said.<\/p>\n

English courses offered by the organization have a similar goal. Taraky noted many members of the Afghan community drive rideshares and need to be able to interact with customers.<\/p>\n

Taraky\u2019s leadership has made him a rock for other immigrants in Erie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing you notice isn’t a resume or a title that he carries, it’s his presence, the calm and the grounded way that he speaks, like someone who has seen a lot and survived even more, and still somehow, he’s someone that never loses hope every single day,\u201d said Mohammad Khan, who met Taraky shortly after arriving in the United States in 2022. Like Taraky, Khan previously worked with the American military and left Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal.<\/p>\n

Afghans in the United States face many of the same problems as other immigrants under the Trump administration, Taraky said.<\/p>\n

But a specific issue facing his community, Taraky said, is the pause in visa and immigration processing for Afghan nationals. That policy has kept many Afghan families in limbo, even those who have completed all the legal requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Afghans worked alongside the U.S. government in Afghanistan and were promised safety,\u201d Taraky said. \u201cPausing these immigration processes breaks that promise, and the human impact of these decisions cannot be ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pause takes a heavy toll on Afghans in Erie, especially those with families waiting to immigrate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work with Afghan families in Erie who have been separated from their spouses and children for four years or more,\u201d Taraky said. \u201cSome parents are still waiting to reunite with children who were evacuated to the United States while they themselves were left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taraky said he supports a thorough vetting process but thinks stopping the process entirely is not fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope is that they will reunite with their families, but with the current administration, I think it’s getting harder, and that’s the biggest challenge that the community is facing,\u201d Taraky said.<\/p>\n

While You\u2019re Here<\/p>\n

Spotlight PA\u2019s nonprofit reporting is a free public service, but it depends on your support. Give now to ensure it can continue.<\/p>\n

Taraky said he wants to support not only the Afghan community but Erie as a whole.<\/p>\n

Khan recalled a time when a storm affected a local farmer and Taraky rallied the Afghan community to offer water and food.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s truly who he is,\u201d Khan explained. \u201cA warm sunny Sunday morning, you are either sleeping or trying to enjoy your coffee, or trying to plan a trip to the beach with your kids, and Saeed will be out there in the community helping someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taraky said that he\u2019s simply returning the kindness he\u2019s been shown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to show to the American people, especially the Erie County residents, that we are not only here to get, we are here to give,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Know someone worthy of a PA Local Heroes feature? Let us know<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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