After four years of uncertainty and danger while trying to escape terror and get into the United States, the Zaki family has found safety in Iowa, and a community eager to help them start again.The Zakis are Afghan refugees. They arrived on U.S. soil this spring after obtaining a special immigrant visa, which grants residency to Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. forces during wartime. Shahamat Zaki is the eldest son living in the U.S. He’s 20 and the family’s primary translator, but he was just 16 when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.He recalls how quickly life changed saying, “When the Taliban came back, I can literally say we went back 20 years.”He added that under the Taliban’s rule, being a woman is hard, noting that girls can only attend school up to sixth grade. Before their escape, Arifa Zaki, the matriarch of the family, had worked with the U.S. government, providing evacuation support as the Taliban regained control. For years, she helped others flee, risking her life, while waiting for the chance to take her family and leave their home country. That chance came on April 9, when the Zaki family landed at the Des Moines International Airport with the help of a grassroots group of friends from Iowa.Jane Patton has volunteered with immigrant services in Iowa for almost two decades. She said when President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, she wanted to get more involved before certain programs were discontinued. So she rallied her friends, including Angela Garrison and Amy Eilers, to help her sponsor a Syrian refugee family. But when President Donald Trump took office in 2025, he suspended all U.S. Refugee Admissions on his first day, and those flights were cancelled. Still, the women did not give up. They instead turned to the nonprofit No One Left Behind, which is dedicated to resettling wartime allies. That’s when they connected with the Zakis. Since then, the Zakis and their sponsors have built a deep bond.“We are just so much more alike than we are different,” Garrison said.Patton added, “We’re learning so much from them, too.”The women help teach the Zakis’ English, and the Zakis teach the women how to make cultural meals. They go to the science center together, the park and the zoo, too.And in just six short months, the Zakis have begun building a new life as Iowans. Shahamat attends Des Moines Area Community College and works at Hy-Vee, with hopes of becoming an engineer. He has a driver’s license, a car and took a military entrance exam last week.”So far, we really like America. We like the people and we like the environment, we like everything,” Shahamat said. But their fight isn’t over yet. The three oldest Zaki children were unable to join the rest of their family in Iowa. They were over age 18 at the time of the move, which is too old to qualify for a special immigrant visa. The family stays in touch by phone, but said it’s not the same. Something most people understand. That’s why the women and their families are still committed to helping the Zakis find a pathway to reunite the entire family in the U.S. As that work continues, the Zakis are focused on building a future here — one filled with safety, education and opportunity that they can one day share with the rest of their loved ones. » Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —

After four years of uncertainty and danger while trying to escape terror and get into the United States, the Zaki family has found safety in Iowa, and a community eager to help them start again.

The Zakis are Afghan refugees. They arrived on U.S. soil this spring after obtaining a special immigrant visa, which grants residency to Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. forces during wartime.

Shahamat Zaki is the eldest son living in the U.S. He’s 20 and the family’s primary translator, but he was just 16 when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

He recalls how quickly life changed saying, “When the Taliban came back, I can literally say we went back 20 years.”

He added that under the Taliban’s rule, being a woman is hard, noting that girls can only attend school up to sixth grade.

Before their escape, Arifa Zaki, the matriarch of the family, had worked with the U.S. government, providing evacuation support as the Taliban regained control. For years, she helped others flee, risking her life, while waiting for the chance to take her family and leave their home country.

That chance came on April 9, when the Zaki family landed at the Des Moines International Airport with the help of a grassroots group of friends from Iowa.

Jane Patton has volunteered with immigrant services in Iowa for almost two decades. She said when President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, she wanted to get more involved before certain programs were discontinued.

So she rallied her friends, including Angela Garrison and Amy Eilers, to help her sponsor a Syrian refugee family. But when President Donald Trump took office in 2025, he suspended all U.S. Refugee Admissions on his first day, and those flights were cancelled. Still, the women did not give up. They instead turned to the nonprofit No One Left Behind, which is dedicated to resettling wartime allies.

That’s when they connected with the Zakis.

Since then, the Zakis and their sponsors have built a deep bond.

“We are just so much more alike than we are different,” Garrison said.

Patton added, “We’re learning so much from them, too.”

The women help teach the Zakis’ English, and the Zakis teach the women how to make cultural meals. They go to the science center together, the park and the zoo, too.

And in just six short months, the Zakis have begun building a new life as Iowans. Shahamat attends Des Moines Area Community College and works at Hy-Vee, with hopes of becoming an engineer. He has a driver’s license, a car and took a military entrance exam last week.

“So far, we really like America. We like the people and we like the environment, we like everything,” Shahamat said.

But their fight isn’t over yet.

The three oldest Zaki children were unable to join the rest of their family in Iowa. They were over age 18 at the time of the move, which is too old to qualify for a special immigrant visa.

The family stays in touch by phone, but said it’s not the same. Something most people understand.

That’s why the women and their families are still committed to helping the Zakis find a pathway to reunite the entire family in the U.S.

As that work continues, the Zakis are focused on building a future here — one filled with safety, education and opportunity that they can one day share with the rest of their loved ones.

» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page

» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play