California and Texas to host largest number of Afghan refugees

California and Texas will host the largest numbers of Afghan refugees from participating U.S. states, the Associated Press reported.

The Biden administration began contacting governors on Wednesday about the number of Afghan evacuees from the first group of about 37,000 people who will be admitted to their states, according to the AP. California will host the largest number of people with 5,255 evacuees, and Texas will receive 4,481, according to State Department data for the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program shared with the PA.

States that host more Afghan evacuees, such as California, Texas, Maryland and Virginia, have resettled more Afghans in the past 20 years than most other states and are doing so. again according to State Department data, the AP Remarks. This could be in part because evacuees were able to ask which states they wished to be relocated to, and many chose to go where they already had close friends or family, the AP reported.

Hawaii, Wyoming, South Dakota, West Virginia and the District of Columbia do not plan to relocate any of the evacuees from the first group, the AP noted.

The State Department resettled the refugees based on advice from local branches of nine national resettlement agencies with which the government works, the AP reported.

The news follows some setbacks in the US effort to evacuate the remaining evacuees from Afghanistan. Last week, flights carrying Afghan refugees were temporarily halted after four cases of measles were confirmed among Afghans who arrived in the United States

In addition, Afghan refugees are expected to receive $ 1,225 from the US government to cover their expenses, but currently cannot receive food stamps, Medicaid and other traditional refugee services, according to the AP.

The Biden administration has asked Congress for funding to bring some 65,000 Afghans to the United States by the end of September, along with another 30,000 who may come at some point next year.