The Department of Homeland Security is reporting that more than 52,000 Afghan refugees have been resettled throughout the U.S.
''Yesterday, the last group of Afghan nationals temporarily housed at Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of Operation Allies Welcome departed the base. Fort Bliss is the third of eight Department of Defense installations supporting the resettlement of Afghan nationals that are also known as 'safe havens' to complete operations,'' the agency announced in a press release.
''To date, more than 52,000 Afghan evacuees have been resettled in communities across the country. These resettlement efforts are led by the Department of State in close coordination with more than 290 local resettlement affiliates.''
A flood of refugees arrived in the United States in 2021 after the withdrawal of troops from that country in August in what President Joe Biden called the ''largest airlift in U.S. history.''
''The end of operations at Fort Bliss marks another important step in our mission to safely and successfully resettle our Afghan allies. We are thankful for the partnership the local communities have forged with our teams and their support for this historic effort,'' Robert Fenton, a senior official in the Operation Allies Welcome program, said in the release.
''We have made incredible progress over the last four months thanks to the dedication of our workforce and the backing Operation Allies Welcome has received from veterans, faith groups, non-governmental organizations, and Americans across the country. This is truly a whole-of-society effort to support the people who supported our Nation over the last 20 years.''
The department is still housing 22,500 refugees at five military installations in Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Virginia and Wisconsin, where they have access to services including healthcare and resettlement, and can apply for work visas, the agency said.
According to the agency, a total of 75,000 refugees came to the United States in 2021.
Breitbart reported that the Biden administration, with the help of 49 congressional Republicans, raised more than $13 billion in taxpayer funds to resettle the refugees, as well as funding from nongovernmental organizations.
According to the report, it will cost the U.S. about $9 billion every five years, with each refugee getting about $133,000 in their lifetimes, and about 16% will need housing assistance paid through tax dollars.
While DHS asserts that the refugees inside the country have been ''vigorously'' vetted, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress in November that not every refugee is interviewed in person.
''We are not conducting in-person, refugee interviews of 100% [of] individuals,'' Mayorkas said.
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