A group that helps refugees says dozens of people from Afghanistan have been resettled in Texas since the beginning of August. Afghans who helped U.S. forces there are being allowed to leave the country in the face of threats from the Taliban.
Refugee Services of Texas is one of several groups that helps refugees when they first arrive. They have helped to place 19 Afghans in Dallas and 10 in Fort Worth since August 1st.
Those Afghans have received Special Immigrant Visas, which require security background checks and health screenings. The program is for individuals in Afghanistan or Iraq who have helped the United States.
"They're interpreters, they're drivers...they're people who worked with the U.S. military," said Refugee Services of Texas CEO Russell Smith.
Smith says the Special Immigrant Visas program normally handles about 10,000 people nation-wide each year - but that number is expected to grow to 30,000 as U.S. forces leave Afghanistan.
Refugee Services of Texas helps them find housing and acclimate to the United States. The process of deciding where refugees will be re-settled involves looking for relatives or other existing connections they may have with a community. The group has assisted more than 300 refugees under the Special Immigrant Visas program this year and expects to handle more than 200 more through September 30th.
The group predicts another 39 Afghans could resettle in Dallas and another 60 could find new homes in Fort Worth.
"Refugee Services of Texas continues to need the public's support in resettling the brave Afghans and their families who are now paying the price of giving our country and our military so much," Smith said. The group is accepting donations on its website.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD