Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees
By Betsy Klein, CNN
Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT) September 14, 2021
(CNN)The Presidents' club is teaming up to aid in a massive, bipartisan effort to welcome and support Afghan refugees that is being launched Tuesday.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama -- along with former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama -- are serving as honorary co-chairs for the group Welcome.US.
Welcome.US, the group said in a news release, is aimed at engaging "all Americans to welcome and support refugees, beginning with the individuals and families who fled Afghanistan" following the American withdrawal from the nation in recent weeks. After the biggest military evacuation in history, the Biden administration is now tasked with resettling more than 60,000 Afghan refugees in the US over the next several weeks.
About 17% of those who have already arrived are US citizens and lawful permanent residents and can head to their destinations without first passing through military bases. The rest, however, will go to bases to receive medical screening -- including Covid-19 vaccinations -- before they're relocated to communities around the country.
Welcome.US has gathered the former presidents -- as well as a bipartisan group of governors, including Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, and other leaders -- to serve as a central point of contact for public and private efforts to help in the massive effort to help Afghan refugees as they establish lives in the US. It will connect and coordinate efforts among state and local governments, as well as non-profit organizations, corporations, universities and others, according to the group.
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