By Anna Giaritelli, Homeland Security Reporter |
A Northern Virginia sheriff is furious with the Biden administration for springing plans on him to fly thousands more Afghan nationals into his county in an operation set to begin Saturday.
On Thursday, Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman disclosed that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and his staff have repeatedly ignored his concerns about the government's plan to bring thousands of Afghans into his region. The Biden administration failed to provide assurances that the community will not be endangered by the forthcoming six-month operation.
“As I have a responsibility for the safety and security of Loudoun’s citizens, I want to ensure that our community is aware of the concerns we have raised and the expectations we have from our partners with the federal government. Currently, those expectations have not been met,” Chapman said in a statement. “We will continue to keep our community informed as this process continues. If the resettlement proceeds, we will work with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and all stakeholders to ensure that appropriate resources are obtained for the refugees’ successful transition into the United States.”
This new operation comes two months after the Washington Examiner reported that virtually none of the 82,000 people airlifted from Kabul last August were vetted before being admitted to the United States despite claims to the contrary from the Biden administration. It is not clear if or how DHS has screened and vetted the thousands to be flown in this year.
The DHS's Federal Protective Service made an unannounced visit to Chapman’s office Feb. 4 to inform his staff that the federal government would be flying in and providing housing at a nearby facility for 2,000 Afghans each month through September. The flights will arrive from Qatar and may contain Afghans who were airlifted out of Kabul in August but who were not put on planes to the U.S. until now.
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The Afghans will arrive at the nearby Washington Dulles International Airport and will be held at a corporate training facility, the National Conference Center.
“DHS/FPS advised that the refugees will be provided cash and cell phones from non-government organizations and be required to remain on the NCC grounds,” Chapman wrote, adding that they would eventually be released into the U.S.
Chapman promptly informed DHS officials that the “lack of communication, lack of planning, language barriers, a failure to communicate with a myriad of potential stakeholders, and the NCC’s unfenced proximity to a residential neighborhood and two public schools" needed to be addressed but said the government has failed to do so before the flights begin arriving Saturday.
In particular, because the NCC is located within a residential area and walking distance from a high school and middle school, Chapman is worried about who is managing security inside and outside. The DHS agreed to make 15 of its federal officers available for security at the site where the Afghans will reside, but Chapman pointed out that the federal officers do not have the legal authority to investigate or enforce any laws on campus.
The community has not been informed or told what to expect nor have the county’s fire and rescue, public schools, mental health department, social services, local hospitals, houses of faith, or county government, the sheriff’s office said.
The DHS said it would offer grant funding to cover the financial burden imposed on the local community, but Chapman protested because the costs would not be available until at least this fall, forcing local departments to cover costs upfront.
Chapman voiced his concerns in a phone call to Mayorkas on Feb. 8.
“Secretary Mayorkas apologized for the lack of communication by DHS with the [Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office] and other stakeholders but assured Sheriff Chapman that his concerns would be addressed,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
A week later, on Feb. 15, Chapman and his staff met with DHS officials again and asked that the department sign a declaration with the county “to ensure the roles and expectations of all stakeholders are clearly delineated and agreed upon, as well as the duration the refugees will be staying at the NCC.”
No memo or plan had been produced as of Feb. 17.
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall and Ashburn District Supervisor Mike Turner said Friday that the county is being considered as a "safe haven" to temporarily hold Afghan evacuees.
"At the time of this writing, DHS has not signed a contract with any facility in Loudoun County for such an operation," Randall and Turner wrote. "In addition, a contract will not be signed if certain entities in Loudoun government are not willing to take part in Operation Allies Welcome."
In an email from a DHS spokesman sent after publication, the official said the department is still looking for one off-base location to house people arriving in the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome and that it was looking for a better local facility to house people instead of the NCC.
"At this location, OAW-eligible Afghans will complete processing before being assigned to a resettlement agency and then moving to their new communities," the spokesman wrote. "We are still working to confirm the location of the new safe haven and will make an announcement with our state and local partners once we do so. In the meantime, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will remain available to receive Afghans until the new site is open and fully operational.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/virginia-sheriff-furious-over-surprise-biden-plan-to-fly-in-thousands-of-afghans
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