Process of resettlement of evacuated Afghans in the U.S. is delayed

The shortage of suitable housing and the need for vaccinations delayed for several months the process of settling evacuated Afghans in the United States. About this writes The Wall Street Journal.

According to Pentagon officials and volunteers, the original intention was to send Afghans to new places of permanent residence in the U.S. territory by the end of the year or even earlier. Officials warned volunteer groups in October that the process would likely drag on until at least March. “There’s no way we’ll be done by Christmas,” one military official said.

More than 50,000 Afghans are temporarily stationed at eight military bases in the United States. Such centers often experience shortages of supplies. Also, cases of domestic violence are recorded. Delayed processing of the first wave of arrivals makes about 10,000 of their compatriots at American facilities abroad wait.

Evacuated Afghans cannot qualify as refugees under the law, complicating the paperwork. Unlike regular refugees who apply, who are considered under government programs, Afghans do not have guaranteed immigration status until Congress approves the White House’s proposed green card law.