Five U.S. military bases are housing the roughly 18,000 Afghan refugees that have yet to be resettled within the United States, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Washington Examiner Tuesday.
The refugees who are still on bases are being housed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Fort McCoy, Fort Pickett, Camp Atterbury, and Holloman Air Force Base.
While there are approximately 18,000 refugees still on bases, roughly 57,000 have already resettled into various communities across the country.
“Operation Allies Welcome has made incredible progress over the last four and a half months, and we are thankful for the support that veterans, faith groups, and people across the country have shown our Afghan allies as they join their new communities,” the spokesperson added.
The tens of thousands of refugees came to the U.S. during the final weeks of the U.S. military’s two-decade-long stay in Afghanistan. Americans and allies launched a noncombatant evacuation operation once the Taliban overthrew the western-backed Ghani government and were able to help roughly 125,000 people leave the country.
The federal agencies responsible for managing the refugee situation have already closed three of the bases — Fort Lee, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Fort Bliss — used for housing because they were no longer needed.
Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, which housed refugees, spent $188 million on housing, military personnel, food, and medical and educational services, according to a Department of Defense Inspector General report from last week.
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“The $188.4 million consisted of $182.7 million for a base operations and support services contract, $4.6 million for travel expenses for deployed personnel, and $1.1 million for supplies,” the report says, though it did not include a total amount for all of the base’s expenses.
