Some of the Afghan nationals who aided the U.S. war effort will be temporarily housed at a U.S. Army base about 140 miles south of Washington while they await approval of their visas
Afghan nationals who aided the U.S. war effort and their families will be temporarily housed at a U.S. Army base about 140 miles south of Washington while they await finalThe first round of applicants will be taken to Fort Lee, Va., according to a congressional official who viewed a National Security Council notification sent to Capitol Hill earlier Monday.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Fort Lee will briefly host up to 2,500 applicants and their families who have completed the security vetting process. While at Fort Lee, Kirby added, they will be able “to safely complete the final steps” of the process, including final medical screenings and other paperwork. Kirby added that the Defense Department
The group heading to Fort Lee includes 700 who qualify for the SIV program; the remaining 1,800 Afghans are their family members. The special visa program has seen significant backlogs in recent weeks, raising the urgency of evacuating the applicants and housing them in other countries or on the U.S. mainland as they await State Department approval of their paperwork. Overall, there are 18,000 applicants in the pipeline.
The House is set to vote this week on legislation to allow applicants to be approved for special visas more quickly.
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