Biden points out that Afghan refugees will be screened before entering the United States

President BidenJoe BidenBiden will address the nation on the evacuation of Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon Pelosi says House is working on passing infrastructure bills by October 1. Facebook report reveals primary link within 3 months was to doctor who died after receiving COVID-19 PLUS vaccine stressed on Sunday that refugees who are evacuated from Afghanistan will be carefully screened before being brought to the United States.

Biden’s comments, which he made during a Sunday afternoon White House speech on the evacuation effort, came as some Tory lawmakers and commentators tried to stoke concerns among nativists about the evacuation effort. the reception of Afghan refugees in the United States.

“Planes taking off from Kabul do not fly directly to the United States. They land at US military bases and transit centers around the world, ”Biden said. “At those sites where they land, we do a thorough security check… for anyone who is not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Anyone arriving in the United States will have undergone a background check. “

“Once vetted and cleared, we will welcome those Afghans who have assisted us in the war effort for the past 20 years to their new home in the United States of America. Because that’s who we are, that’s what America is, ”Biden continued.

Biden explained how Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants who have assisted the U.S. military are transported from Kabul to transit centers in Qatar, Germany, Kuwait and Spain so they can complete their documents and undergo background checks.

The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation effort that followed illuminated a debate within the Republican Party over the acceptance of refugees. While some Republican figures have supported the acceptance of Afghans into the United States, others on the right have fueled fears about potential threats to the security of Afghan refugees without any specific evidence.

“The Biden regime owes us answers as soon as possible on how it will screen Afghan refugee claimants,” the representative said. Lauren BoebertLauren BoebertOvernight Energy: judge blocks permits for Alaska oil project GOP loophole opens on resettlement of Afghan refugees (R-Colo.) Tweeted last week. “We are dealing with a part of the world which is a hotbed of terrorism and we have to be incredibly vigilant. ”

Biden’s mention of the verification process seemed like an effort to refute this rhetoric on the Right.

Earlier on Sunday, the Pentagon announced it was activating the civilian reserve air fleet and asking for help from commercial airlines to complete the military’s evacuation effort.

“These civilian reserve flights will help facilitate the safe movement of people from assembly places and transit centers like Qatar and Germany to the United States or to a third country,” Biden said. “None of them will land in Kabul.”

Biden said the move would have little or no impact on commercial air travel.

On Sunday, the United States evacuated nearly 28,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, said Biden, some of whom are American citizens and others from Afghanistan who assisted American troops in the 20-year war. The president described significant progress in the evacuation efforts, but conceded that “we have a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong.”