Afghan refugees in the United States will go to these countries

Washington (CNN) – A White House official said that about 37,000 Afghan refugees who arrived or will arrive in the United States after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, will be resettled in various states across the country, with the highest allocations in California and Texas. .

According to that official, the allocations were made to each state under the New Afghanistan Assistance and Placement Program (APA) and were based on 37,000 arrivals initially. Under the plan, California and Texas will have the highest allocations: 5255 and 4481, respectively. Washington, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New York and Virginia also plan to resettle more than 1,000 Afghan refugees. Mississippi and Alabama are expected to resettle the lowest number of Afghans – 10 each.

“The purpose of the APA program is to provide newly arrived Afghans with primary transportation services as they begin to rebuild their lives in the United States,” the official said. “These services will be provided through local refugee resettlement agencies across the country.”

The official said the number “may increase over time depending on the combined capacity of state refugee coordinators and local resettlement agencies.”

How will the resettlement of Afghan refugees be?

The White House has already told governors how many Afghan refugees they can expect to resettle in their states in the coming weeks, the administration official told CNN.

Former Delaware Governor Jack Markle and former Acting President of the Republic of Delaware Federal Emergency Management Agency The official said Bob Fenton – who is overseeing the resettlement effort – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mallorcas and other senior White House officials made the calls to state governors on Wednesday.

“Most of the Afghans who will be resettled in the United States have either worked directly with the United States on its mission in Afghanistan, including its military, diplomatic and development efforts, or are relatives of someone who did,” the official said.

“Thousands of this group work as journalists, human rights activists or humanitarian workers, and have had occupations that put them at risk, making them eligible for P1 or P2 visas.”

“Many” are relatives of US citizens and green card holders, the official said.

The official said resettlement would begin in the coming weeks after Afghans receiving medical checks and vaccinations, such as measles, mumps and rubella, arrived at military bases abroad.