A U.S. deputy assistant secretary commended Defense Department workers following the departure of all Afghan refugees from the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Va.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in a Sept. 27 news release, all Afghan national departed the safe haven facility in the conference center. DOD also announced the adoption of a new model for handling Afghan refugees, to allow them to travel directly to their new communities without having "a safe haven stop over."
"I commend the service members, Department of Defense civilian personnel and the entire team at the NCC for their outstanding work in supporting the U.S. government's resettlement of Afghan arrivals," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration and Defense Support of Civil Authorities Heather King said in the news release. "From the beginning of the relocation operations in July 2021 for Operation Allies Refuge, we resolved to provide the necessary humanitarian DOD support while our interagency partners worked to resettle our new neighbors. I am proud of the contributions of all who supported this important effort."
More than 4,500 Afghan nationals were housed temporarily at the safe haven established in the conference center in early March, the release reported. That number was part of the 88,500 Afghan nationals who have arrived in the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
The operation is "the coordinated effort across the federal government to support and resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked on behalf of the United States," the news release said.
While housed at the conference center, the Afghan refugees applied for work authorization, were assisted in finding new homes in the United States, participated in cultural orientation classes, studied the nation's legal and immigration systems and attended English language classes, according to the release. Federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations assisted the refugees.
"In the past year, we have watched the country come together to support the historic resettlement of our Afghan Allies," Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Julieta Valls Noyes said in the news release. "It has been truly inspiring to witness the collaboration, ingenuity and sheer grit of our federal, state and non-profit partners, as well as the communities and individual Americans across the country who so generously and freely gave their time, energy and resources to welcome their new Afghan neighbors."
The stories and hopes of so many refugees supported by federal and NGO representative will never be forgotten, Noyes said, according to the release.
"As we close the National Conference Center as a safe haven for Operation Allies Welcome, we will sustain our enduring commitment to the people of Afghanistan with the same passion, care and solidarity that guided the State Department and our partners over the past year," Noyes said in the release.
