The last of the Afghan refugees living on a U.S. military base have left, the Department of Homeland Security announced Saturday.
While Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey has been cleared a few days after the Tuesday target date, the base will remain open for other refugees filtering in, according to the statement from DHS. In the meantime, the department will be allocating a new safe haven at a new undecided location.
“To date, approximately 84,600 Afghan nationals, American citizens, and Lawful Permanent Residents have arrived in the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), including more than 76,000 Afghan nationals who have now joined communities across the country,” the DHS statement read.
VIRGINIA SHERIFF FURIOUS OVER SURPRISE BIDEN PLAN TO FLY IN THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS
Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, said he was proud of the base’s efforts to ease the influx of refugees, the largest refugee resettlement since 1999, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
“U.S. Northern Command, Army North, and the men and women of Task Force Liberty at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst remain ready to support DHS if required,” VenHerck said. “From the beginning, across each of the eight task forces on DoD installations, our service members and interagency teammates have embraced this important mission and have had an immense impact.”
Saturday also marked the first day that Loudoun County in Virginia began receiving its promised 2,000 refugees per month. DHS told county officials at the time they could expect that many every month until September.
Sheriff Michael Chapman openly shared his safety concerns about receiving such a large population at the National Conference Center.
“As I have a responsibility for the safety and security of Loudoun’s citizens, I want to ensure that our community is aware of the concerns we have raised and the expectations we have from our partners with the federal government. Currently, those expectations have not been met, and we continue to have concerns as to whether the NCC is an appropriate location to support this mission,” Chapman said in a press release Thursday.
DHS claimed to have taken proper safety precautions.
“Afghan evacuees also received age-appropriate vaccinations — which include measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), varicella, polio, and COVID-19 prior to joining communities across the United States,” the Saturday statement read. “All OAW arrivals are tested for COVID-19.”
Northern Virginia’s Resettling Afghan Families Together agency is shifting from moving in Afghan families to establishing employment for the refugees. James Gage, one of the administrators for NOVA RAFT’s Facebook page, said leadership hopes to keep these families from getting evicted.
“Time is running out. In terms of money, it’s running out,” Gage told the Washington Examiner. “I think that the system’s a bit overwhelmed. All the community help we can get is much appreciated.” RAFT plans to continue brokering more move-ins.
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Over 350 resettlement agencies have combined to transfer refugees out of military bases. The New Jersey-based refugees will be settled in the nearby Washington area, Northern California, and Texas.
Representatives for NOVA RAFT did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
