By donating unused airline miles for flights, people have helped reunite hundreds of asylum-seeking families separated at the southern border by the previous administration. The organization heading the effort, Miles4Migrants, told Newsweek in March 2019 that people had donated nearly 47 million miles to reunite separated families as of that time. 

That’s major. But now, the organization has announced an even bigger effort, aiding the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated here as part of Operation Allies Rescue. In a release received by Daily Kos, Miles4Migrants and partner Welcome.US said they’re seeking to secure 450 million miles, “needed to provide every evacuee with a flight to their new home.”

Miles4Migrants and Welcome.US said in the statement that several major airlines have already “come together in an unprecedented way” to donate 20,000 tickets for Afghans evacuated through Operation Allies Rescue, including 7,000 flights from United Airlines and 6,000 flights from American Airlines. “These corporate commitments match an additional 20,000 flights already supported through frequent flyer miles and credit card points donated by the American people over the last two months.”

But “[e]ven with 40,000 flights and 300 million miles secured since August 15, there is still work to be done to ensure that every Afghan evacuee has an opportunity to travel to their new communities for free,” Miles4Migrants and Welcome.US continued, kicking off this effort to raise hundreds of millions of additional airline miles. The two groups said they have a goal of ultimately raising as much as a billion miles to aid Afghan refugees.

“Typically, refugees fund their own travel, and those who cannot afford the cost can receive interest-free loans from the federal government,” the groups said. “While Congress recently appropriated funds to meet the needs of newly arrived Afghan evacuees including travel costs, any funding not spent on flights can be reallocated to provide housing and other essential resettlement services.”

This is an excellent opportunity for everyday people looking to help in refugee resettlement but don’t know what to do or where to go. Not only is it a wonderful way to use airline miles that may just be sitting there in part due to the pandemic, but it’s a straightforward process, something I found out first-hand when I donated miles earlier this year. If you think this is something you’re interested in, click here to find out more.

“We have been moved to see how the American people and the private sector have rallied to support the Afghan people and all displaced persons over the past two months,” Miles4Migrants Co-founder Andy Freedman said. “Our Billion Mile Challenge is the next step to ensuring that our nonprofit partners and the individuals they support will be able to travel to safe new homes without the burden of financial debt. We are grateful to both Welcome.US and our airline and corporate partners for their unprecedented support.”

The Biden administration also just announced a new program that will allow groups of private individuals to sponsor Afghan refugees. Under the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans, groups of vetted individuals would form “sponsor circles” responsible for securing housing and financial support for families, and help situate them in their new communities. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said the program “has the added benefit of helping the American public directly engage with resettlement on a personal level. We see it all the time in our volunteers.”