Afghan evacuees to be housed at Virginia base

[mystery-ak]

Afghan evacuees to be housed at Virginia base
By Rebecca Kheel - 07/19/21 01:10 PM EDT

The Biden administration plans to send the first group of Afghans being evacuated amid threats to their lives for helping U.S. troops during the war to a military base in Virginia, a congressional aide notified about the plans confirmed Monday.

About 2,500 Afghans who have already applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) are expected to be sent to Fort Lee, Va., while they finish the lengthy application process.

The National Security Council and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The news, which was first reported by Reuters, comes after the Biden administration last week formally announced “Operation Allies Refuge,” which officials said would start evacuations at the end of July.

Sending the Afghans to Fort Lee represents a shift from the administration’s initial statements on looking to send them to third countries or U.S. facilities outside the continental United States.

more
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/563704-biden-administration-to-house-afghan-evacuees-at-virginia-military-base

[rangerrebew]

Are these the same "children" the pentagon referred to in their request for $15 billion more to upgrade barracks?

[AARguy]

This is great news. My "I-T" (Interpreter-Translator) in Iraq was a great young man... a Baghdad University graduate and a rare Christian in Iraq named "Ayman". He was a tremendous assistance to us in our efforts to train the NEW Iraqi Army at KMTB (Kir Kush Military Training Base). As we geared up to leave Iraq, terrorists killed his uncle and a cousin in retaliation for his helping us. A bunch of us got together to seek help getting him to safety in the US. I personally met with Duncan Hunter's Chief of Staff to pursue this. No help came. Somehow, he managed to find his way to Australia with his mother and sister, where he now resides. I am overjoyed that we are taking better care of those who helped us in Afghanistan.

[dfwgator]

This is great news. My "I-T" (Interpreter-Translator) in Iraq was a great young man... a Baghdad University graduate and a rare Christian in Iraq named "Ayman". He was a tremendous assistance to us in our efforts to train the NEW Iraqi Army at KMTB (Kir Kush Military Training Base). As we geared up to leave Iraq, terrorists killed his uncle and a cousin in retaliation for his helping us. A bunch of us got together to seek help getting him to safety in the US. I personally met with Duncan Hunter's Chief of Staff to pursue this. No help came. Somehow, he managed to find his way to Australia with his mother and sister, where he now resides. I am overjoyed that we are taking better care of those who helped us in Afghanistan.

But we all know eventually, we will let in a lot more of those who didn't help us.

[AARguy]

Admitting allies who risked their lives to help us in Afghanistan is apples. Admitting anyone who walks across the open border without question is oranges. Apples and oranges.