In late July, Fort Lee in Virginia became the first U.S. military base to shelter refugees evacuated from Afghanistan as part of Operation Allies Rescue. In a statement, President Biden called this first group’s arrival “an important milestone.” Seven additional U.S. bases have since sheltered tens of thousands of refugees as they wait for continued processing and resettlement.
The Biden administration has now said that Fort Lee will be the first of these shelters to close, following the departure of final remaining families this week. “We’ve reached a big milestone—the last group of Afghan refugee families living at Fort Lee have been successfully resettled,” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner. “I’m grateful for the hard work of everyone in Virginia who helped to safely welcome our Afghan allies.”
CBS News reported that 45,000 refugees continued to be sheltered at seven bases throughout the U.S., while 2,000 were still on U.S. bases overseas as of Nov. 8. More than 25,000 have departed bases like Fort Lee for their new homes all over the U.S.
“Nine national refugee resettlement groups and their 200 local affiliates have been working to resettle Afghan families who depart the military sites, helping them secure affordable housing, jobs, basic necessities, and government benefits.” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President of the refugee resettlement agency Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), tweeted about one northern Virginia job fair for newly-arrived refugees. The Biden administration just announced plans to waive fees for documentation like work permits so refugees can work legally.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that by waiving application fees, “we will open doors of opportunity for our Afghan allies and help them begin to rebuild their lives in communities across our country more quickly. These actions demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Afghan nationals who provided valuable assistance to the United States over the past two decades as well as other Afghans at risk.”
“We’ve seen housing challenges, so our concern is making sure that they don’t get moved off the military bases and end up homeless,” O’Mara Vignarajah told CBS News. “We’re equally concerned that the families have warm shelter if they are remaining on the military bases.”
Resettlement agencies have described difficulties securing housing for Afghan families. “Doing it during a pandemic, during a housing boom, during a housing shortage for large families who tend to be concentrated in cities that are not inexpensive to live in—that’s a challenging constellation,” Mark Hetfield, president of resettlement agency HIAS, told CNN last month. Since that time, the Biden administration has announced a program to let groups of qualified individuals sponsor families.
“The United States evacuated more than 120,000 people before the withdrawal of U.S. troops in August and the staggeringly quick takeover by the Taliban,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
But U.S. families and advocates have continued to fear for loved ones who weren’t evacuated at that time. “The majority of flights out, though, are now handled through American allies such as Qatar, and nonprofit and aid agencies that charter their own planes, create their own manifests, and work to gather the necessary governmental clearances both through the U.S. and the new regime in Afghanistan. It is a slow and disjointed process.”
Non-profit No One Left Behind volunteer Ismail Khan told The Times that even as someone involved in evacuation work, he has no quick resolution for his own loved ones remaining in Afghanistan. “There is not a follow-up,” he said in the report. “You can’t get an answer from anyone that will tell you, ‘Hey, it’s going to happen in a month or two months or a year,’ or, ‘It’s not going to happen.’” His family has already been targeted by Taliban, when his little brother was kidnapped. He was freed after the family paid a ransom.
“Even though the U.S. withdrew, there are still innumerable vulnerable Afghans desperate for a way out,” Refugee Council USA tweeted.
The Biden administration has now said that Fort Lee will be the first of these shelters to close, following the departure of final remaining families this week. “We’ve reached a big milestone—the last group of Afghan refugee families living at Fort Lee have been successfully resettled,” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner. “I’m grateful for the hard work of everyone in Virginia who helped to safely welcome our Afghan allies.”
CBS News reported that 45,000 refugees continued to be sheltered at seven bases throughout the U.S., while 2,000 were still on U.S. bases overseas as of Nov. 8. More than 25,000 have departed bases like Fort Lee for their new homes all over the U.S.
“Nine national refugee resettlement groups and their 200 local affiliates have been working to resettle Afghan families who depart the military sites, helping them secure affordable housing, jobs, basic necessities, and government benefits.” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President of the refugee resettlement agency Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), tweeted about one northern Virginia job fair for newly-arrived refugees. The Biden administration just announced plans to waive fees for documentation like work permits so refugees can work legally.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that by waiving application fees, “we will open doors of opportunity for our Afghan allies and help them begin to rebuild their lives in communities across our country more quickly. These actions demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Afghan nationals who provided valuable assistance to the United States over the past two decades as well as other Afghans at risk.”
“We’ve seen housing challenges, so our concern is making sure that they don’t get moved off the military bases and end up homeless,” O’Mara Vignarajah told CBS News. “We’re equally concerned that the families have warm shelter if they are remaining on the military bases.”
Resettlement agencies have described difficulties securing housing for Afghan families. “Doing it during a pandemic, during a housing boom, during a housing shortage for large families who tend to be concentrated in cities that are not inexpensive to live in—that’s a challenging constellation,” Mark Hetfield, president of resettlement agency HIAS, told CNN last month. Since that time, the Biden administration has announced a program to let groups of qualified individuals sponsor families.
“The United States evacuated more than 120,000 people before the withdrawal of U.S. troops in August and the staggeringly quick takeover by the Taliban,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
But U.S. families and advocates have continued to fear for loved ones who weren’t evacuated at that time. “The majority of flights out, though, are now handled through American allies such as Qatar, and nonprofit and aid agencies that charter their own planes, create their own manifests, and work to gather the necessary governmental clearances both through the U.S. and the new regime in Afghanistan. It is a slow and disjointed process.”
Non-profit No One Left Behind volunteer Ismail Khan told The Times that even as someone involved in evacuation work, he has no quick resolution for his own loved ones remaining in Afghanistan. “There is not a follow-up,” he said in the report. “You can’t get an answer from anyone that will tell you, ‘Hey, it’s going to happen in a month or two months or a year,’ or, ‘It’s not going to happen.’” His family has already been targeted by Taliban, when his little brother was kidnapped. He was freed after the family paid a ransom.
“Even though the U.S. withdrew, there are still innumerable vulnerable Afghans desperate for a way out,” Refugee Council USA tweeted.