Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US to Evacuate Journalists, Aid Workers From Afghanistan
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
August 2, 2021

Share

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday expanded its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as Taliban violence increases ahead there of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month.

The State Department said it is widening the scope of Afghans eligible for refugee status in United States to include current and former employees of U.S.-based news organizations, U.S.-based aid and development agencies and other relief groups that receive U.S. funding. Current and former employees of the U.S. government and the NATO military operation who don’t meet the criteria for a dedicated program for such workers are also covered.

However, the move comes with a major caveat: applicants must leave Afghanistan to begin the adjudication process that may take 12-14 months in a third country, and the U.S. does not intend to support their departures or stays there.

Nevertheless, the State Department said the move will mean that “many thousands” of Afghans and their immediate families will now have the opportunity to be permanently resettled in the U.S. as refugees. It did not offer a more specific number of those who might be eligible for the program.

U.S. Begins Evacuation Process to Resettle At Risk Afghans

“The U.S. objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan,” it said in a statement. “However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the U.S. government is working to provide certain Afghans, including those who worked with the United States, the opportunity for refugee resettlement to the United States.”

The creation of a “Priority 2” category for Afghans within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program is intended for Afghans and their immediate families who “may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation” but aren’t able to get a Special Immigrant Visa because they did not work directly for the U.S. government or didn’t hold their government jobs long enough.

To qualify for the Priority 2 category, Afghans must be nominated by a U.S. government agency or by the most senior civilian U.S. citizen employee of a U.S-based media outlet or nongovernmental organization.

The first group of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants — most of whom served as translators or did other work for U.S. troops or diplomats — who have cleared security vetting arrived in the U.S. on Friday. That group of 221 people are among 2,500 who will be brought to the U.S. in the coming days.

Another 4,000 SIV applicants, plus their families, who have not yet cleared the security screening are expected to be relocated to third countries ahead of the completion of the U.S. withdrawal. Roughly 20,000 Afghans have expressed interest in the program.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

LA Police Make Arrest in Murder of Fresno Human Trafficking Fighter’s Daughter

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Charged With Murder in Woman’s Fentanyl Death

DON'T MISS

Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s Feud: A Timeline

DON'T MISS

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts to a Mixed Finish in a Quiet Day of Trading

DON'T MISS

US Service Member Shot and Killed by Florida Police Identified by the Air Force

DON'T MISS

Fresno Area Elementary School Teams With Quiq Labs for STEAM Exploration

DON'T MISS

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

DON'T MISS

Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU

DON'T MISS

Watch: Israel’s Oversized Influence in American Elections

DON'T MISS

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Seize Rafah Crossing in Gaza, Threatening Aid and Putting Cease-Fire Talks on Edge

UP NEXT

Police Disperse Pro-Palestinian Student Protest in Berlin Amid Europe-wide Demonstrations

UP NEXT

Texas Soldier Arrested in Russia on Theft Charges After Unexpected Detour

UP NEXT

Hamas Accepts Gaza Cease-Fire; Israel Launches Strikes in Rafah

UP NEXT

The Yearly Memorial March at the Former Death Camp at Auschwitz Overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas War

UP NEXT

Hamas Accepts Cease-Fire After Israel Orders Rafah Evacuation

UP NEXT

The Ideas Letter Explores Diverse Perspectives on Global Issues

UP NEXT

Armenia Offers Safe Home for Gaza Manuscripts, Denounces Civilian Targeting

UP NEXT

Russia Warns Britain and Plans Nuclear Drills Over the West’s Possible Deepening Role in Ukraine

UP NEXT

Israel Orders Al Jazeera to Close Its Local Operation, Seizes Some Equipment

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts to a Mixed Finish in a Quiet Day of Trading

3 hours ago

US Service Member Shot and Killed by Florida Police Identified by the Air Force

3 hours ago

Fresno Area Elementary School Teams With Quiq Labs for STEAM Exploration

4 hours ago

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

4 hours ago

Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU

4 hours ago

Watch: Israel’s Oversized Influence in American Elections

6 hours ago

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

7 hours ago

Special Report: How a 1965 Law Makes It Hard for the Poor to Get Mental Health Treatment

8 hours ago

CA Restaurants Shouldn’t Be Shocked That ‘Junk Fees’ Ban Applies to Them

9 hours ago

Did California’s Massive COVID Homeless Shelter Program Work? A New Evaluation Probes the Results

9 hours ago

LA Police Make Arrest in Murder of Fresno Human Trafficking Fighter’s Daughter

On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a 14-year-old girl for the March murder of Kendra McIntyre, the daughter of Breaking t...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

LA Police Make Arrest in Murder of Fresno Human Trafficking Fighter’s Daughter

2 hours ago

Fresno Man Charged With Murder in Woman’s Fentanyl Death

2 hours ago

Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s Feud: A Timeline

3 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts to a Mixed Finish in a Quiet Day of Trading

3 hours ago

US Service Member Shot and Killed by Florida Police Identified by the Air Force

4 hours ago

Fresno Area Elementary School Teams With Quiq Labs for STEAM Exploration

4 hours ago

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

4 hours ago

Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend