Roughly 7,600 Afghan refugees still reside on three military bases within the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last Thursday the final refugees at Camp Atterbury and Holloman Air Force Base had departed, leaving only three operational. At the time, there were approximately 9,000 refugees left at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; Fort Pickett, Wisconsin; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
But this number is now below 8,000, a DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner Monday afternoon. The eight bases used to house Afghan refugees who departed at the end of August, which coincided with the U.S. military’s withdrawal after 20 years, provided housing to more than 66,000 refugees in total.
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“I applaud the military men and women and the entire inter-agency team who enabled the resettlement of the more than 7,100 Afghan guests who were temporarily housed and cared for at Task Force Holloman,” said Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command, in a statement.
“Since the beginning of Operation Allies Welcome, service members at this and seven other military installations provided essential support, ensuring Afghan nationals had safe and secure conditions while they completed resettlement requirements and prepared to transition to their new communities across America,” he added. “As Task Force Holloman concludes its support to the operation, the service members and the entire team should take great pride in all they accomplished.”
Government officials are still working on getting the remaining Afghans settled while others remain on bases overseas awaiting approval to come to the U.S.
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After departing the country, Afghans were brought to various nearby military bases for biometric and biographical vetting tests. Many of those who required additional vetting were sent to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.
Fewer than 10 of the evacuees were flagged and deemed ineligible to come to the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal.
