Department of Defense is preparing to house thousands of Afghan refugees on American military installations, immediately including Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and Fort Bliss in Texas. (Up to 30,000)

@JacquiHeinrich twitter, white house correspondent & Fox News Anchor ^ | 8/15/2021 | Jacqui Heinrich

[Mount Athos]

“The situation in Afghanistan may lead to DoS [Department of State] allowing Afghan SIV applicants to be moved to temporary housing locations while still being vetted for parolee status,” the document reads.

“We want to have capacity to get up to several thousand immediately, and want to be prepared for potential of tens of thousands,” Pentagon Spox John Kirby tells me. “Bliss & McCoy have capability right now – what’s advantageous is w/ a bit of work, could increase in short order.”

The move is a reversal from the Biden administration’s previous policy. On July 8th, President Biden told me the US government could not evacuate Afghan translators to the US to await visa processing like some migrants at the southern border.

“The law doesn’t allow that to happen. And that’s why we’re asking Congress to consider changing the law,” Biden said.

Kirby says American citizens will not be given priority evacuation over Afghan SIV applicants. “Once we get more airlift out of Kabul, we’re going to put as many people on those planes as we can.

There will be a mix...not just American citizens, but perhaps some Afghan SIV applicants as well. We’re going to focus on getting people out of the country, then sorting it out at the next stop. It’s not going to be just Americans first, then SIV applicants," Kirby tells me.

Some 6,000 US troops are expected in Kabul with the objective of keeping the airport open to achieve that goal. Kirby tells me, "We are already basically in charge of air traffic control at the airport, so we’re going to be in oversight of the air ops for as long as we can."

The State Department will determine who is sent forward – the job of the military is to find facilities and infrastructure for refugees to sleep and receive food and medical care during processing.

The Pentagon is working closely with the State Department to find overseas and possibly domestic processing locations for additional Afghan refugees who do not qualify for SIV status, falling instead under P-2 and P-1 visas.

“Secretary Austin has made it very clear to the Department and to military leaders that he wants additional options,” Kirby said. “We all share a sense of urgency and we’re going to be leaning forward to help the State Department as much as we can.”

As for how much longer the military presence will remain tenable, Kirby says, “The President gave us August 31st as an end date, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

[Mount Athos]

From White House Correspondent, fill-in anchor @FoxNews

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

What’s ANOTHER 30,000 spit!!!!

[blueplum]

well that’s a fine mess Biden’s got himself into, Olly

since INS now has their hands full, maybe they can close the border while they’re at it? oh, wait we don’t have a border either

[rdcbn1]

Austin and Kirby aren’t in control of much of anything in Afghanistan at this point

[wardaddy]

Would u abandon folks who helped us over there

I sure as F wouldn’t

[PghBaldy]

Are there any Americans still stuck in Afghanistan? The ones they told to shelter in place? Would be nice if they had a plan to extract them ASAP.

[PghBaldy]

"Kirby says American citizens will not be given priority evacuation over Afghan SIV applicants." --- How is this just?

[House Atreides]

“. .Kirby says American citizens will not be given priority evacuation over Afghan SIV applicants. “Once we get more airlift out of Kabul, we’re going to put as many people on those planes as we can….”
********************************************************************
Of course Biden wouldn’t want to be accused of being an “American Firster”!

[Widget Jr]

The refugees and foreign nationals have to get out of Afghanistan first. It's just that no one in Biden's administration or the Pentagon bothered to consider that in advance. What a mess!

[HotHunt]

Well, this is a fine mess. Crisis management because planning was nonexistent.

Take your good old time, Joe. Take two weeks off in Delaware and Camp David when you're in the middle of a drawdown in Afghanistan. Just a month ago he assured the American people he was on top of this and there was no way the Taliban could get control. Now he's having to fly 5,000 or more troops back into the theater to help with evacuation and security.

And the Taliban are not nice guys. They's not going to wait until you take your nap, Joe. We're going to have more casualties. The Taliban have murdered over a 1,000 people already. This will be a blood bath.

Now he's scrambling, trying to figure out what to do with 30,000 people,

Total cluster phuque. Too little, too late.

[dmzTahoe]

This will not be an operation as planned. Do you really think Taliban will allow the airport to remain open? My guess is it will be completely shut down within 24 hours.

[sport]

This is how they will get the muslims in here. But don’t worry. They are all peaceful. Just ask the guys at Fort Hood. I think that is where the guy peacefully killed 12 people. If he hadn’t been peaceful, he would have killed more than that.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

No I don’t want to abandon the, BUT close the damn border THEN bring them!! OMG the damage done in less than a year is ASTOUNDING!! WHERE THE HELL are the republicans??? But hey don’t EVER speak of a new party that would be suicidal /s SPIT!!!

[logician2u]

The humanitarian thing to do would be to provide safe passage to all Afghan citizens who want to come to the US and become citizens. Diversity is our strength. (sarc)

It could happen. Biden and his handlers want to “reform” this country and turn it into another socialist hellhole, so why not invite the rest of the world to the wrecking party?

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

How can we? Illegals from the non-existent flood at the southern border are in them. Oh wait, many were surrepticiously dumped on unknowing American cities and towns.

[avital2]

let’s not repeat what was done to the Kurds

[bagster]

Just what we need, more raggedy moslem animals.

What could go wrong?

[bagster]

Would u abandon folks who helped us over there. I sure as F wouldn’t.

They were helping themselves.

America to Afghanis....

List of peoples who trusted America:

Kurds
South Vietnamese
Afghanis.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.

And the common demoninator in this ongoing trend is....American liberals/ democrats.

But don't worry. Diversity is our strngth, and whatnot.

[Rusty0604]

“As for how much longer the military presence will remain tenable, Kirby says, “The President gave us August 31st as an end date, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

🤣😂🤣😂

[Rusty0604]

They could have been doing this the last few months,