Thousands of Afghans at U.S. military bases await resettlement

WASHINGTON – Weeks after his dramatic flight from Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans waiting to be resettled in the United States continue at military bases across the country and abroad as medical and security tests slow the process.

A small but worrying measles outbreak has contributed to the delays, causing a halt in evacuation flights as federal officials struggle to contain cases and inoculate newcomers against the disease and other illnesses, including coronavirus.

As of Sept. 14, some 64,000 evacuees from Afghanistan had arrived in the United States. The vast majority were at risk under the Taliban government after the United States withdrew from the country last month. Nearly 49,000 live at eight national military bases, waiting to be resettled in the United States, according to an internal federal document obtained by The New York Times. Approximately 18,000 are on bases abroad, mainly in Germany. Some leave in a few weeks, but most stay longer.

The projections, involving a number of federal agencies, follow a condensed and careful evacuation effort last month shortly before the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan. About 100 Americans who want to leave, and an unknown number of vulnerable Afghans, remain in the country.

Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state, defended the Biden administration’s evacuation operation during congressional testimony hours this week, which included calls from Republican critics for his resignation and charges that the administration it did not properly plan the collapse of the Afghan government to the Taliban. .

Blinken said there was no deadline to get people out of the country and that “in the end, we completed one of the largest air bridges in history, with 124,000 people evacuated to safety.”

Although Afghan evacuees have fled the Taliban, their lives remain plagued, with restless children and little to do at U.S. bases, including Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, where more than 12,700 people have been housed since the United States. last week and Fort Happiness in Texas, which has received more than 9,700.

“We’ll be here a month or so,” said Milad Darwesh, who arrived Saturday at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Joint Base in New Jersey after traveling for days to get to the United States. At the base there are about 8,000 people evacuated.

Darwesh said he and his family escaped from Kabul on a harrowing trip with the Taliban at the airport gates. They spent four days in Doha, Qatar, along with thousands of other people evacuated, with little water to drink or wash. He and his family were then taken to an airplane hangar at a base in Italy before finally reaching Fort Dix.

“He’s fine here,” said Darwesh, a former military translator who has been waiting for his visa to be processed for two years. “We now have our own room.”

Zainullah Zaki, who is traveling with his family, landed in Qatar on August 18 and traveled to Germany, where he has been told time and time again that he could be on a flight “in a few days”.

“Because of the measles, all flights are at a standstill right now,” John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday about those still in military installations abroad. “So no one is going anywhere. But our goal has been to try to move them as quickly as possible. We know that these men and women and their families want to continue with their lives. “

Seven cases of measles among Afghans were discovered at national military bases. Very few evacuees have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a Sept. 10 government update. Afghan citizens settling in the United States must have a series of vaccines that are being administered at U.S. military bases and will soon be administered abroad as well.

Many evacuees have arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, and state hospitals have complained to the federal government that they have been overwhelmed by Afghans in need of medical treatment. Health care providers have called for financial assistance, and two Virginia senators, Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, sent a letter to Biden administration officials pushing for better coordination.

“Virginia’s ambulances and hospitals, which already meet the usual needs of patients and face Covid’s additional stress, have done an excellent job of partnering with federal agencies that manage this processing effort and ensure – to know that the emergency health needs of our Afghan partners are being met, ”Katie said. Stuntz, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kaine, said. “Healthcare providers deserve a refund for this work and Senator Kaine is working with all stakeholders to make sure this happens.”

Refugee groups have struggled for weeks to prepare for a large number of Afghan refugees, but so far they have only seen a handful of people willing to be resettled.

“In recent weeks, we have served more than 100 people,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, chief executive of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a resettlement agency that has subsidiaries in 22 states. “Some come with little more than a backpack. We know the importance of an orderly system that processes and prepares these new Afghan arrivals, helping them make informed decisions about where they want to resettle ultimately. “

Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said Wednesday that the administration was trying to move evacuees away from military bases “as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

“We would like to see them resettled in the communities,” Price said. “So it’s not in our best interest, it’s not in their best interest to live in a U.S. military base or any other official facility for longer than necessary, and I think you’ll see that we’re able to manage their steps. vital with good efficiency “.

Members of the U.S. military service have supported Afghans at the bases by raising funds and delivering items such as prenatal vitamins, nutritional supplements and clothing. Many non-profit organizations, including the YMCA armed services and the Catholic diocese of El Paso, have also helped, but the distribution of supplies has been slow due to staff shortages.

Miriam Jordan contributed information from Los Angeles and Michael Crowley of Washington.