Free Republic

In 2014, when waves of refugees began flooding into western Europe, citizens and officials alike responded with generosity and openness. Exhausted refugees spilled out of trains and buses to be met by crowds bearing gifts of clothing and food, and holding up placards that read “Welcome Refugees.” This was a honeymoon that could not last. Some of the upcoming difficulties had been anticipated: that the newcomers did not speak the local languages, might be traumatized, would probably take a long time to find their footing, and had brought their ethnic, religious and sectarian conflicts with them, causing them to get...

Salem Talk Radio host Sebastian Gorka reports tonight that hundreds of Aghani citizens were flown to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. “Officers escorting them were ordered: ‘Once the foreign nationals hit the public concourse, do not stop them from leaving if they decide to separate from the group,'” Gorka noted. It’s not clear if these individuals have been vetted or if they have undergone any screening to make sure they are not radical extremists or infected with the China virus. Fox 5 DC reports that the Afghanis have been landing at the airport for several days. “We’re told that...

Hundreds of Afghan refugees are staying at a northern Virginia campus as they await relocation to a more permanent destination. After arriving at Dulles International Airport Friday night, refugees spent the night at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, news outlets report. A college spokesperson said the refugees will stay at the campus anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Many refugees are destined for Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Lee in Virginia. The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management set up more than 500 cots in ballrooms and community rooms. As word...

The first Afghan refugees have arrived at Fort McCoy, one three military installations in the United States approved by the Department of Defense for temporary housing. Sunday afternoon, special immigrant visa applicants, their families and other individuals at risk arrived, according to a press release from the base. This is in addition to a small number of Afghans currently finalizing their processing at Fort Lee, Va. Fort McCoy officials expect these arrivals to continue throughout Sunday and the coming days. U.S. Northern Command is working to build additional capacity at the Wisconsin base, as well as at Fort Lee, Fort...

The crisis in Afghanistan will resonate in Pennsylvania in the days and weeks ahead, as families fleeing the Taliban-led government will take refuge in resettlement areas here. In Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) has begun to resettle one family and is preparing for two more families that recently evacuated Afghanistan, said Ivonne Smith-Tapia, director of refugee and immigrant services for the Squirrel Hill-based JFCS. Thousands are evacuating the country following the withdrawal of American troops there, the subsequent collapse of the government and the Taliban takeover. In southcentral Pennsylvania, Church World Service Lancaster has sent four employees to...

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signalled Tuesday that the Peach State would accept Afghan refugees in the wake of the Taliban seizing power of the Middle Eastern country following the Biden administration’s withdrawal of U.S. forces. “Joe Biden’s failure to protect American citizens and our allies in Afghanistan is a stain on our nation. His administration’s lack of preparation and disastrous evacuation is now putting countless lives in serious danger from the Taliban,” Kemp said in a statement obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

When Mari Ayubi took her five young children and fled her homeland of Afghanistan, she thought her husband was dead. Now, sitting next to him in Christchurch after seven years apart, she still cannot believe he is there. "God has given us a new life," Mari Ayubi beams. Her daughter, Madina, 12, said the whole family was pinching themselves. "We didn't think we were going to see Dad again. When he came, the first night we thought we were dreaming. When we woke up the next morning, we saw it was true." The disbelief is wearing off, but the joy...