The Biden administration faces the enormous task of resettling well over 100,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan over the past two weeks.
The process is extremely complicated, with even seasoned refugee organization leaders troubled by the complexities of the global process.
Here’s a breakdown of how it will work:
How many Afghans will the United States welcome?
The U.S. and other partner nations evacuated 122,300 people in July and August, according to data provided by the White House on Aug. 29. More than 116,700 people were flown to U.S. and military bases in allied countries in Europe and the Middle East over the past two weeks since the Taliban seized control of the country.
Most are Afghans who helped the U.S. during the war, while some are Americans whose families are Afghan.
As many as 50,000 people not approved for the Special Immigrant Visa are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Are all refugees?
Refugees are noncitizens seeking admission to the U.S. before leaving their home country. Refugees seek help if they are being or fear being prosecuted, in this case by the Taliban.
Many of those evacuated helped the U.S. in the war and have been waiting for visas to live in the U.S., which is a different pathway to admission than seeking refugee status.
The Biden administration did not anticipate the Taliban would immediately take over Afghanistan as quickly as it did when it pulled out most U.S. forces in mid-August. As a result, many Afghan citizens did not have the opportunity to apply for refugee status before the Taliban’s takeover.
Which governmental department is in charge?
The Department of Homeland Security has assumed responsibility for the operation. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced in an email Tuesday that Robert Fenton Jr., a career official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will lead the government effort.
Are evacuees being vetted and screened?
The vetting and screening of each person is the responsibility of the 300 DHS employees sent overseas to interview each person before admitting them into the country. Officials from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were dispatched in August, as well as Transportation Security Administration employees and service members from the Coast Guard.
Screeners have access to classified databases, which flag criminals and people on the terror watch list to avoid admitting a dangerous person into the U.S.
Governments share information on dangerous people, though data from the Afghanistan government may be hard to come by for U.S. screeners, given the government’s fall to the Taliban. Biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial scans, are collected during the screening process.
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Where do Afghans go once they arrive in the U.S.?
Mayorkas instructed federal law enforcement officials to admit Afghans and release them into the U.S. on a two-year basis, where they will be expected to follow up with authorities. This process is referred to as parole.
Parolees will be held at domestic military bases for the time being but are expected to be released into the country within days with the help of refugee assistance groups. Parolees are supposed to check in with immigration authorities at a future date.
Mayorkas warned in his memo to employees that those who do not check in could be deported. However, since President Joe Biden took office in January, his administration is not allowing ICE to arrest and deport most people who fail to check in for immigration-related court proceedings. That means Afghans who do not follow check-in protocols will likely not be tracked down or deported.
For those who make it to the U.S., where will they head next?
Afghan citizens allowed in on parole will be held at U.S. military bases. The Biden administration has requested space for 50,000 people by Sept. 15. As of this weekend, beds for 21,000 people were available.
The State Department identified 19 cities visa applicants should consider based on affordability, housing availability, and strong resettlement services. The cities are Phoenix; Denver; Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta; Chicago; Baltimore; St. Louis; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; northern New Jersey; Las Vegas; Buffalo; Cleveland; Portland; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Austin; Dallas-Fort Worth; Houston; and Salt Lake City.
Is it well organized?
Not necessarily. Mark Hetfield, who oversees a refugee assistance organization helping those arriving, stated in a recent interview with CNN that “there is no process.”
Hetfield, CEO and president of HIAS, originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, was told by the Biden administration that 50,000 parolees would need to be acclimated with the help of his organization and eight others that are official government contractors and can legally cover the costs of some expenses of resettling people. Hetfield expects to be reimbursed $1,000 for every person his group helps.
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So, is the government not handling the resettling process?
The government is relying on nine organizations to help refugees and visa applicants. Typically, refugees approved before arriving in the U.S. will receive financial assistance from the government, including help finding a place to live and work permits. But because most of those arriving have not been approved for visas or refugee status, the government is not legally responsible for fronting those costs. Instead, the nine humanitarian organizations are fronting the costs of helping resettle Afghans nationwide.
Congress previously made $500 million available to cover the costs of immigrants admitted to the U.S. temporarily. Those who are paroled in will have to apply for longer-term permission, such as asylum, to remain in the country.
