The United States is preparing to receive 50,000 Afghan refugees

The Biden administration He called refugee aid organizations to prepare for reception and resettlement even 50,000 Afghans evacuated Under a temporary program, while United State speed up frequency Flights from Kabul Ahead of the late August deadline, three people familiar with the discussions said.

The program known as humanitarian statement, would target Afghans who would potentially be at risk under a Taliban-led government and who have not yet applied, or would not be eligible for, Special immigrant visa Used to evacuate people who have assisted the US military or diplomats. People who may be eligible for humanitarian leave include women leaders, journalists, and other at-risk groups.

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Humanitarian leave is a rarely used discretion that gives people in emergency situations one year of residence in the United States to complete their applications for more formal programs such as Asylum, asylum or visa.

A senior administration official said Tuesday that the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mallorcas, uses its authority to ensure that those who arrive in the United States have appropriate legal status. A State Department official said the agency does not comment publicly on internal deliberations or communications.

The move highlights the scale of efforts to drive vulnerable Afghans out of their country before the Taliban consolidates its power. The United States said on Tuesday that 21,600 people have been evacuated In the last 24 hours because of Military cargo planes They depart from Kabul airport every 45 minutes. These Afghans are sent to other countries for testing before traveling to the United States or other countries.

Biden has come under pressure from European allies and bipartisan lawmakers in Congress to extend his August 31 retirement deadline to ensure all American and Afghan allies have a chance to leave. The deadline and what comes next was the main topic of discussion at a virtual gathering of the Group of Seven on Tuesday.

“The president should forget the August 31 date,” said the Senate minority leader. Mitch McConnell, a Fox News. “Extend the deadline, get out of the ocean, and make sure all the Americans and our Afghan allies who want to leave can get out with our help.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that Biden believes the military is “on track” to complete the evacuation before the deadline, but that “completion of the task by August 31, depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access to the evacuees at the airport. “.

It is “impossible” to complete the evacuation of Kabul in the expected time frame

Four planes carrying nearly 1,000 evacuees have landed at Washington’s Dulles Airport, the Pentagon said Tuesday. After initial processing, evacuees are sent to one of four military bases across the country, where they generally stay for 5-6 days to complete paperwork and undergo medical examinations before being sent to communities across the country.

Chris George, chief executive of the group, said the Connecticut-based Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, for example, has hosted two families and expects to resettle between 400 and 500 people in the next 12 months.

Because of Persons arriving on humanitarian parole do not have a work permit or access to the same social benefits as refugees And for people with special immigrant visas, the State Department plans to issue an independent funding opportunity through which aid agencies can apply for funding to serve these residents, according to people familiar with the plan.

Some Democrats said they don’t think 50,000 is enough.

“I think the administration should act as quickly and as broadly as possible, to ensure that the number of refugee visas increases,” New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Monday. “I would say that At least it will be 200,000“.

Despite bipartisan urging to extend the withdrawal period and evacuate more Americans and Afghans, the influx of arrivals is fueling political tensions, with some conservatives openly hostile to the idea of ​​accepting refugees. They were joined by the former president Donald TrumpIn a statement, he complained about what he called the arrival of “thousands of terrorists” to “neighborhoods around the world.”

ED