Without warning, the Biden administration this month told Loudoun County officials that it plans to roll an influx of 16,000 Afghan refugees through a convention center as part of its settlement program.
Sheriff Michael Chapman said Thursday that officials from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service said that up to 1,000 at a time would be temporarily housed at the National Conference Center in the ritzy Lansdowne area east of Leesburg, Virginia.
The agency said that 2,000 a month would arrive between February and September.
“On February 4, 2022, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office received an unannounced visit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service in which it learned that approximately 2,000 Afghan refugees, per month, were slated to arrive at the Washington Dulles International Airport during a window beginning as early as February 19, 2022, and extending to September 2022. DHS/FPS regional personnel advised the refugees would be transported by bus to the National Conference Center where they would stay until their ultimate relocation elsewhere in the United States,” said the sheriff’s office.
Each refugee is to be provided with cash and a cellphone while being required to stay at the center.
However, Chapman said that the plan lacked key details, and several of his questions were not answered by top Biden officials, especially those on security and communications with locals.
It comes on the heels of a similar settlement parade through the Dulles Expo Center and other facilities in the Northern Virginia area, during which there were reports of refugees simply leaving.
In a release, Chapman expressed concern over the administration’s lack of transparency about dumping the refugees, most of whom do not speak English, in a highly populated area that includes two schools.
“He raised concerns about DHS’ lack of communication, lack of planning, language barriers, a failure to communicate with a myriad of potential stakeholders, and the NCC’s unfenced proximity to a residential neighborhood and two public schools,” said the sheriff’s department.
While the public has welcomed former Afghan officials, notably translators, who helped the United States during the War on Terror, locals have raised significant security concerns about language barriers and background checks.
Chapman spelled out his concerns in the release and dished the DHS answers.
For example, he asked about security and background checks. DHS, the sheriff’s department said, responded: “Refugees had been carefully vetted and many served as translators. However, when asked how, if in fact, they served as translators when only 30% of the refugees spoke English, DHS responded that many of the incoming refugees were family members of the translators.”
Asked about keeping areas around two schools secure, DHS said that “the FPS would provide 15 officers for security at the NCC. However, the FPS has no law enforcement jurisdiction in Loudoun County and cannot enforce nor investigate any criminal activity on the campus.”
DHS also admitted it had told nobody in the community about the plan and had not reached out to any support group, including churches.
And when asked about receiving federal financing for its expenses, DHS said that grants would be available, but only after all 16,000 are placed somewhere else.
“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,” said Chapman.
“We will continue to keep our community informed as this process continues. If the resettlement proceeds, we will work with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and all stakeholders to ensure that appropriate resources are obtained for the refugees’ successful transition into the United States,” he added.
