PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — People who were evacuated from Afghanistan will be landing in Philadelphia as early as Friday. Philadelphia International Airport will be the second airport in the U.S. that is welcoming the evacuees as part of the operation.
The City of Philadelphia and the administrations of both Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy are all working to create ways to help evacuees.
City officials are not saying how many people will arrive or when they could get to the airport. The Philadelphia Inquirer, however, reports two planes, with 200 to 300 people each, will be coming in. After landing, officials say they will be tested for COVID-19.
Dulles Airport in the Washington, D.C., area, the first U.S. airport to welcome evacuees, has seen around 8,600 people come in so far, according to officials. A mass vaccination clinic is set up near Dulles and the expectation is that a clinic will be set up in Philly as well.
Mayor Jim Kenney, in a statement, said, "Philadelphia stands in solidarity with Afghan refugees and we look forward to providing them a safe haven in our welcoming city."
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An administration spokeswoman added the city was working with the federal government in this effort, "protecting the rights and dignity of the Afghan families arriving in the country."
She continued, "We stand ready to provide medical assistance, housing, and connection to our diverse community of immigrant service providers who can assist with an array of social services."
Gov. Tom Wolf has pledged state resources to help Afghans coming to Philadelphia "in any way possible," as well as for Haitians coming after the deadly earthquake there.
In a statement, his administration said the Department of Human Services will worth with federal officials to support resettlement organizations in their effort to meet the needs of those coming to the city.
“Pennsylvania was founded on the ideals of peace, tolerance, and safety for all people. It is incumbent on us to model the ideals on which Pennsylvania was founded and be a welcoming home for any who seek safe refuge in the United States," Wolf said.
"Therefore, Pennsylvania stands ready to continue serving as a resource and a safe, welcoming home for those who seek refuge in the United States.”
One organization that is helping is HIAS Pennsylvania, which has its offices in Center City. Executive Director Cathryn Miller-Wilson said, so far, they have helped four Afghan families who arrived here in recent weeks.
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"They’re exhausted," Miller-Wilson said. "They’ve been, I think, more or less glued to the news since the pullout — since the Taliban started working their way around the country. So, they’re just trying to adjust to this new reality."
This is a challenge for the organization. She says HIAS Pennsylvania and another Philly-based non-profit, Nationalities Service Center, are budgeted to care for 250 people spread out through the year. Now, they’ll try to help a much larger group of people, all at once, and they are asking for donations.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order establishing a task force on Afghan refugee assistance, with its members reporting to him.
The task force will coordinate state efforts to prepare for, and respond to, the arrival of Afghan refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders in New Jersey.
This unit will have several responsibilities.
First, it will develop a process to identify Afghan refugees who arrive in New Jersey and plan to remain for some time. It will next establish an intake process for organizations and individuals who want to provide aid and support to the refugees to contact the Task Force.
It will also oversee any emergency healthcare services for these refugees who need it once they arrive in New Jersey, including COVID-19 testing and vaccination as needed.
As Murphy signed the executive order, he said the newly established unit will oversee efforts to welcome refugees and their families to their new lives in the U.S. and the Garden State.
He added that as refugees arrive at Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, it's important to be prepared to assist these individuals who "courageously assisted our country in the war on terror."
The task force will combine numerous executives in Murphy's administration, along with staff members from the Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness, the State Police and the departments of Health, Human Services, Children & Families, State, Community Affairs, Transportation, and Labor and Workforce Development.