At least 50,000 Afghans are set to join the United States after the fall of Kabul as part of an “ongoing commitment” to help people who supported the American war effort and others who are particularly at risk under Taliban rule, said Friday.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have already made it through the security clearance and have arrived in the US to begin relocation. How many more will come and how long it will take remains open, said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as he outlined the effort.
“Our commitment is permanent,” he told reporters. “It’s not just a question of the next few weeks. We will not rest until we have achieved the ultimate goal. “
Mayorkas and other Biden government officials provide the most detailed glimpse yet of what began as a hectic and chaotic effort, US citizens, permanent residents, and Afghans ahead of the withdrawal of American troops on August 30 and the end of the country’s longest war to evacuate.
Jack Markell, former Delaware governor, will act as coordinator of what the White House calls Operation Allies Welcome. He will work with the National Security Council, Home Affairs Council, DHS and other federal agencies “to ensure that vulnerable Afghans who pass screening and review exams are safely and efficiently relocated here in the United States,” said Karine Jean- Pierre, the White House Deputy Press Secretary. The appointment should run until the end of the year.
Nearly 130,000 were flown out of Afghanistan in one of the largest mass evacuations in US history. Many of these people are still in transit and are undergoing security clearance and control in other countries including Germany, Spain, Kuwait and Qatar.
Mayorkas said there were some evacuees being stopped in transit countries for “derogatory information”, although he did not provide details. It is unclear what will happen to Afghans who cannot make it through security checkpoints at overseas transit points, although the secretary said the US is working with its allies to address the problem.
More than 40,000 have arrived in the US so far. Mayorkas said about 20% are either US citizens or permanent residents. The rest are people who have received or will receive a so-called special immigrant visa – for those who have worked as interpreters or in other functions for the American military or NATO – and Afghans, who are considered to be particularly at risk under the rule of the Taliban, such as journalists and employees of non-governmental organizations.
“We have the moral imperative to protect them, to support those who have supported this nation,” said Mayorkas, who came to the United States as a child with his family as a refugee from Cuba.
While he said the US was expected to take in at least 50,000 Afghans, he suggested that there was no set limit or time frame.
“Our mission will not be accomplished until we have safely evacuated all US citizens trying to leave Afghanistan or legal permanent residents, all those who have helped the United States in Afghanistan,” he said. “These efforts will not stop until we achieve this goal.”
Although the US Airlift has ended, Taliban officials have said they would allow people with valid travel documents to leave and they may be forced not to back down if they want to continue receiving foreign aid and run the government.
Most Afghans who have arrived in the U.S. are housed in military bases across the country, receiving medical treatment, assistance with immigration filing, and other services to help them settle in the country.
There were more than 25,000 Afghan evacuees at eight bases with capacity for twice that, said Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, who heads U.S. Northern Command.
Numbers at each base are expected to fluctuate, but as of Friday the approximate totals were: Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, 8,800; Fort Bliss, Texas, 6,200; Fort Lee, Virginia, 1700; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, 3,700; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, 650; Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, 800; Fort Pickett, Virginia, 3,650; and Camp Atterbury, Indiana, 65.
So far, few of the Afghans in bases have tested positive for COVID-19 and there have been no security issues, but VanHerck said the military has appointed an officer to serve as the “mayor” of the emerging communities.
“I’m building eight small cities, we’re going to have challenges,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.
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The Associated Press Writer Lolita C. Baldor helped. Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City.
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