Afghan evacuees at the military camps have already cleared customs and medical screening, including coronavirus testing and COVID-19 vaccinations. They have been processed by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee and their travel has been arranged by the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations affiliate. Before they leave the camps, Afghans are assigned a resettlement agency at their destination. That agency receives $1,225 from the federal government for each evacuee’s initial expenses.
About 3,000 evacuees have left the camps without waiting for help from a resettlement group after they were granted humanitarian parole and vetted, including Afghan American citizens, green card and visa holders, and others with close ties in the U.S., according to the administration. In doing so, these evacuees lose access to the assistance that would have been awarded to the resettlement agency, although they’re still eligible for food stamps, Medicaid and other federal aid. With winter coming, more evacuees — especially those living in tents — were debating whether to leave on their own.
Those who requested to be resettled to states and cities that are already home to many of their fellow Afghans — Maryland, Virginia, Washington and California, particularly Sacramento — have faced some of the longest waits. That’s because U.S. officials have encouraged them to resettle in other states to avoid overwhelming the local resettlement agencies and schools. Some states, such as Oklahoma, have offered evacuees incentives such as free housing (280 Afghan evacuees have been resettled there, according to the Biden administration).
Walid Fazly, 34, said officials at Fort Lee encouraged his family of 10 (including his wife, three children, parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephew) to resettle in Oklahoma after denying their request to be resettled with his older brother at his home in Austin, Texas.