In September 2021, during the final days of the Afghanistan War, Davis Polk took on a critical role in a coordinated rapid-response project to ensure that the New York Times’ entire Kabul bureau staff was evacuated from Afghanistan. Given the Times’ position as a foreign news organization reporting on the Taliban, the bureau’s employees had been affected by bombings, kidnappings and threats; protection of its staff following the United States’ withdrawal was critical.

As part of our long-term commitment to supporting refugees of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, our lawyers based in New York, Northern California, Washington DC, London, Madrid, Hong Kong and Tokyo took on the asylum cases of former Times employees and their families. We are thrilled to have recently won asylum for three of these clients.

The Davis Polk team included associates Soo Chae, Gilbert Lim, Shua Mermelstein, Elizabeth Rodgers, Katie Warshauer, Maggie Xing, legal assistants Alfonso García-Moncó and Magali Giddens, and former associates Jaime Begara Bretón, Michael Cooper and Paavani Garg. Pro Bono Counsel for Humanitarian Immigration Matters Nishan Bhaumik provided supervision.

Learn more about Davis Polk’s Pro Bono program.

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