In the weeks before it happened, Elizabeth Peña heard murmurs from local refugee nonprofits that the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan could shutter.
Peña, who at the time was a congressional aide specializing in immigration cases for then-Rep. John Yarmuth, reached out to the embassy to inquire about the rumors but got little in response.
“What they told me in response is essentially, ‘No, and check our website for any updates about closures,’” said Peña, who is now a senior aide for Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Yarmuth’s successor and fellow Kentucky Democrat.
